


The Lone Hydrangea

by lightswoodmagic (sarah_writes)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, And a little bit of angst, Anxiety Attacks, Blow Jobs, But Harry's magic helps him out, Editor Louis, Florist Harry, Fluff, Harry Potter AU, Louis has the blackest thumb, M/M, Miscommunication, Muggle Louis, Mutual Pining, Post-Hogwarts, Rimming, Sexual Tension, Smut, Some slightly haywire magic, Wizard Harry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 06:38:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 77,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18383003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sarah_writes/pseuds/lightswoodmagic
Summary: “Thank you again,” he smiled at Harry as he picked up the arrangement and headed towards the door, and Harry quickly realised he didn’t know the man’s name.“I – wait! Sorry, I just...what’s your name?” At the man’s eyebrow raise, Harry stumbled over his words, “It’s just, if you’re coming back, I thought I should…know.”As the man looked at Harry, his smile only grew, and Harry’s heart thumped in his chest.“My name’s Louis. Louis Tomlinson, and it was so lovely to meet you,” he shot one final grin in Harry’s direction, “I’ll see you next week, Harry.” And then he was gone.“It was lovely to meet you too,” Harry whispered to the empty shop, putting his head on the counter, “Louis”.Or the post Hogwarts AU where Harry's a florist, Louis' a muggle who edits fantasy books, and they both have no say in how quickly they fall for each other.





	1. Celosia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [toritastic11](https://archiveofourown.org/users/toritastic11/gifts).



> I am so so happy that I got to do this! The prompt fit me so perfectly, and I had the most amazing time writing it! I hope you love it as much as I do.  
> This fic kinda got away from me. It's the first fic I've ever written for the One Direction fandom, and I can't wait to hear what people have to say :)
> 
> An enormous thank you has to go to the absolutely beautiful [Caroline](https://thedaggerrose.tumblr.com/), who I would've been lost without during this whole process. The most amazing beta there ever was, and I am incredibly grateful.  
> A massive thank you also to [Tabby](https://hi-larrie-ous.tumblr.com/), who helped me figure out a lot when I was stuck and gave me so many encouraging words. There's no way this would've been finished without her.  
> Thanks also has to go to my beautiful group chats for all the support and wonderful conversations.
> 
> Come and find me on [Tumblr](https://lightwoodsmagic.tumblr.com/)! There's also a [fic post](https://lightwoodsmagic.tumblr.com/post/184860065007/the-lone-hydrangea-by-sarahwrites) that I'd LOVE if you'd reblog <3 A HUGE thank you to the amazing [Pam](https://lt2019.tumblr.com/) for the gorgeous moodboard!
> 
> The prompt:  
> post hogwarts larry au where louis is a muggle and harry runs a  
> flower shop for both wizards and muggles. Louis first comes in for  
> flowers for his mum but keeps returning for the pretty boy with the pink  
> lips. Harry insists Louis take home a small plant but louis insists he  
> will kill it by accident. Harry assures him he won't and secretly puts a  
> charm to make it last no matter how black a thumb louis has. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Experienced fingers gently held the head of the rose still, careful not to crush the delicate white petals until they bruised where they gathered at the stem. It was a stark contrast to the thorough and almost aggressive slide of the gloved hand beneath as it stripped away the prickled leaves and countless thorns. As soft music played in the background, a simple flick of a wrist had the stripped rose floating through the air to land neatly in a gradually building pile on top of the wooden work bench. A new bloom was plucked from the bucket, fingers carefully arranging themselves to –

“Harry! Guess what!”

The hand holding the rose slackened as Harry jumped, letting out a yelp as he hastily gripped the rose again and caused a large thorn to break off into his palm.

“Niall, are you serious?” he hissed between clenched teeth, his eyes squeezed shut against the sting as the rose fell to the floor, “what on earth has you barging through the back door of my shop to scare me half to death at 8am on a Wednesday?”

Harry pushed out a harsh breath as he opened his eyes and saw Niall standing opposite him on the other side of his work bench. He looked slightly guilty as he ran a hand through his hair, “I’m sorry, honestly mate,” he said, eyes downcast as Harry reached to his left to pick up his wand.

“ _Accio_ thorn,” Harry murmured, wincing slightly at the sharpness as it wiggled to get free and settled flat on his palm. He threw it straight into the bin beneath him and pointed his wand directly at the cut.

“Ya know, this wouldn’t happen to you if you just used your magic to strip ‘em,” Niall jumped up on the sink behind him, “just saying.”

After muttering a quiet _episkey_ and watching the skin heal, Harry flexed his fingers to ensure there was no pain. Satisfied with the spell, he looked up at his best friend with a wry smile. “How many times do we need to have this conversation, Ni?” he grabbed the stool behind him, sitting down and leaning forward to rest his chin on his hands, “it also wouldn’t happen if you didn’t burst through my door screaming.”

“Oi! I resent that!” Niall half heartedly kicked in Harry’s direction, causing him to giggle. “You’re clumsy at the best of times, mate. Like a little baby deer,” he said as his expression turned fond and he jumped off the counter with ease to rifle through the small fridge in the workroom.

Harry sighed at Niall’s back, but the grin on his face was full of affection. They really had talked about this before, mainly every time Harry managed to hurt himself, and he was starting to lose track. “You know I prefer using my hands. It’s kind of relaxing, you know?”

Niall turned back around with a sandwich in his hand and raised his eyebrows at Harry. “I know you like to use your hands, but it’s been a bit too long where you’ve _only_ ah-,” Niall grinned wickedly as he bought the sandwich to his lips, “ _used your hands_.”

He cackled around his mouthful of food as Harry spluttered, flushed red with embarrassment as he threw a roll of florist tape at him. “Heyyyyy, I’ve been busy!” he pouted, his bottom lip pushed out as Niall rolled his eyes.

“Your puppy dog eyes don’t work on me, Styles! Go find a guy who’ll fall head over heels for ‘em,” Niall pointed at him accusingly, “you haven’t dated anyone for at least a year. You’re a catch mate.” He took another huge bite and grinned.

Harry grimaced as he picked up another rose, already stripping the stem with his gloved hand. “Charming, Horan. How I got stuck with you in my life, I’ll never know.”

 “You love me, and even if you don’t, you’re stuck with me anyway,” Niall shot back as he leaned against the bench, feet crossed neatly at the ankles, “and don’t dodge the topic!”

Harry huffed out a laugh, shaking his head as he finally realised all the roses were done and pulled off the glove. He’d met Niall as a terrified Muggle-born first year on the way to Hogwarts. He’d been hiding in an empty compartment on the train when the Irish boy had burst through the doors and simply announced that it was his first year too, so they were going to be best friends. They’d spent the whole trip with Niall excitedly telling him everything he could think of about the wizarding world and Harry had hung onto every word. By the time they’d gotten into the small boats to take them to the castle, Harry couldn’t even remember why he’d felt scared in the first place. Niall had remained one of the best parts of Harry’s life, through everything from their sorting into Gryffindor when Niall had happily tackled him into his seat, to finally graduating, when Niall had happily tackled him to the floor. They’d shared everything in between together and as much as they gave each other grief, Harry knew he’d be nowhere without him.

“I’m not dodging the topic Ni, I just don’t think we need to talk about it,” he shrugged as he moved the roses to the cool room. “You know how busy I am with the shop at the moment; it’ll happen when it happens.” Harry came back out carrying a bucket full of celosia and Niall’s face lit up. Harry noticed and pulled back, pointing directly at him. “Don’t you touch them!”

Niall whined, moving closer with his hand outstretched. “But they’re so _soft_ , like _velvet_. And they look like little brains and I just wanna-”, Niall yelped as Harry slapped him on the wrist.

“You bruise my flowers one more time and I swear,” he threatened as he moved the bucket behind him on the stool to cut off his access. He grabbed his shears and started pulling the bunches out, cutting them down to fit in one of the vases he had on the bench. He looked up as he grabbed another bunch, rolling his eyes when he saw the glare he was getting. “Oh, I almost forgot. Did you have news for me?”

He suddenly heard a gasp and looked up just in time to put the shears down and shield his celosias as Niall came barrelling around the table. “Yes, I can’t believe I forgot! My license came through, H! My wizarding one!” Niall was jumping on the spot as he grinned, grabbing Harry’s wrist.

“Wait, does that mean – you can open your shop now!” Harry laughed, standing up to grab Niall around the waist and spin him in a quick circle as he whooped in his ear. “Mate, that’s brilliant news! Do you need a hand with anything?” Harry quickly put him down and pulled back, grinning at the smile on his best friend’s face.

When Harry had bought the shop front in London two years ago for his business, Niall had bought the one next to it as soon as it had become available just a year later.

“Nah H, I’ve been so ready, ya know? Just needed the license,” Niall replied as he quickly snuck around to run his hand over the celosia, ducking away as Harry cried out. “Hey, this is exciting! I deserve a reward!”

Harry grumbled as he picked up the one Niall had touched and handed it to him. “Just take it, you little shit. If you need me to drop in, just shoot me a text.”

Niall laughed as he walked out the back door, the flower dangling from his fist. “You’re such a muggle, Harry,” he teased, throwing him a wink as he left with a cry of farewell.

Harry laughed softly as he turned back to his work, pride thrumming through him for his best friend. He levitated all the vases he’d organised that morning out into the shop, watching carefully as they hovered to their places. The interior changed every season, and at the moment it was filled with greenery; ivy trailing along the wooden beams in the roof, potted ferns and tropical plants in corners and under the wooden tables used to hold the vases, trees and small bushes dotted around the room, and vases and buckets of greenery and flowers filling the room with pops of colour and texture wherever you turned. It was one of Harry’s favourite remodels, and he ran his hand over the centre table where most of his flowers were as he glanced at the clock. He went to the back room to grab his wand before he wandered back into the room, checking his phone to see a message from Niall asking him to meet for lunch.

As he tapped out a reply that teased Niall about his dependence on him, he raised his wand, _alohamora_ leaving his lips as the front window of the shop folded up to open itself and the front door clicked. Just as Harry had sat down behind the counter, his wand hidden in his jeans, Nick came crashing through the door that separated the two rooms.

“Good morning, young Harry!” he exclaimed as he wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pressed a noisy kiss to the top of his head. Harry laughed, pushing him away and moving his hands up to make sure his bun was still in place.

“Good morning,” he replied as he swung around to look at his employee, “I haven’t got an owl from Hogwarts yet, so I’m not sure what we’re in for.” He looked at Nick apologetically, but Nick only grinned.

“Lucky for you, the school owl was getting here just as I apparated in. It’s a pretty standard order, but I’ll get started right away,” Nick said as Harry followed him to the back room. Nick stood silently as Harry pulled his wand out and tapped the seemingly blank wall in a well-known pattern.

“Thanks Nick. I don’t have a lot of orders today, which is nice for a change, but I’m hoping the shop will be busy,” he spoke softly as they walked through the newly open door to a room three times the size of the muggle store front. It was filled with rows and plots of plants in various states of growth, all from the wizarding world. Harry had hired Nick as soon as he’d opened the store to look after the magical plants, selling everything from house plants and pet plants through to potion ingredients that they grew themselves. There was a small store front on the other side for wizards to come and purchase the produce, and Nick had the area running like clockwork. They’d been supplying Hogwarts with all of its apothecary needs for the last 18 months, and it had bought them a much higher profit and created a brilliant working relationship. “What’s on the list for today?”

Nick hummed as he skimmed his eyes down the parchment before he spoke. “Honestly just the usual. Dandelion root, fluxweed, belladonna, some wormwood.”

“Alright, well let me know if you need help with anything,” Harry wandered over to the back corner with a small smile, “how are the Bouncing Bulbs going?” His smile grew as he looked down at the small purple bulbs, safely buried in the terracotta pots but trembling slightly as if they longed to break free.

Nick came up behind him, leaning against him slightly as he looked over the barrier and squinted slightly. “They’re going smashingly, but you can see they’re getting antsy,” Nick pulled away to smirk at Harry, “much like their owner if he doesn’t go out and get laid soon. Isn’t that right, my pretties?” Nick cooed at them as he ignored Harry’s indignant squawk behind him.

“First Niall, now you, honestly can you both just – okay?” Harry grumbled as he turned to walk back towards the door. “The bell hasn’t gone, but I’m just gonna go back. We’ll repot them in a couple of weeks.” Harry shut the door behind him as he heard Nick chuckling, ignoring the whispered dig at his social life.

Harry pondered his love life, or lack thereof, as he sat back behind the counter. He wasn’t a one-night stand kind of person, and he just didn’t have time to get into a relationship, he reasoned with himself. His last boyfriend Oliver had been fine; boring, and not great in bed, but fine. They’d ended just over a year ago. Harry put his head in his hands as he realised how long it’d been since he’d been with someone, and as he groaned loudly, he missed the sound of the bell as someone walked through the door. Harry scrubbed his hands over his face, sighing as he sat up and –

“Sorry mate, I’m not interrupting an existential crisis, am I?”

Harry’s head snapped up, and the apology he was about to say died in his throat. Standing in front of him was one of the prettiest men Harry had ever seen. Harry swallowed harshly as his eyes slid up the man’s body, the black dress shoes and slacks that were tight enough to show off the man’s thighs, the white shirt he was wearing that somehow managed to show off both the curve of his waist and his biceps, and – _fuck_ he had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and Harry’s eyes moved greedily over the tattoos inked into his skin. By the time Harry managed to work his way past the man’s jawline, dotted with stubble that Harry itched to reach out for, and look the man in the eyes, he realised that too much time had passed and there was no way for him to recover. His eyes locked with deep blue that somehow seemed both concerned and slightly smug, but all Harry could think about was that he’d never seen that colour in any flower before, that nothing he’d seen could compare to -

Suddenly the man was stepping closer and concern weighed out in his gaze. “Seriously love, are you okay?”

His voice was slightly high and a bit raspy like he’s just smoked a whole pack whilst he laid in bed _afterwards_ and Harry couldn’t remember how to breathe.

“I – I’m so sorry, I’m sorry!” he moved to stand up and immediately tripped over his own feet, just managing to catch himself on the edge of the counter. He stayed slightly bent over and stared at the ground, willing the blood to move away from his face. However, he realised then that it could head in a completely different direction and that was _much_ worse.

“You’re a bit like a baby deer, aren’t you?”

Harry finally managed to pull himself up and look at the man without staring. He was still just as stunning, and Harry was still just as enamoured. “My best friend told me just that this morning, you know,” he said as he wiped his hands on his jeans and moved fully around the counter, “I’m not sure if I should be offended or not, to be honest.” He managed to grin at him and was pleasantly surprised to find the man grinning back.

“Definitely a compliment,” he trailed his eyes down the full length of Harry’s body and back up, and Harry could feel himself blushing, “maybe it’s the long legs.”

Harry couldn’t help but laugh, “I don’t think baby deer have long legs, to be honest.”

“Well. There’s a first time for everything, I suppose,” the man seemed to think for a second, stroking his chin and running his thumb over his bottom lip. Harry’s eyes tracked the movement, and when he managed to snap his eyes back up, he was smirking. Harry coughed slightly before moving further into the shop.

“What can I get for you today? My name’s Harry, by the way. Harry Styles. This is my shop, so whatever you’re after, I’ll organise it for you,” Harry paused and shook his head slightly. Since when did he introduce himself to every customer like that?

The man looked surprised, but happy at the news. “Well, I guess you’ll be stuck with me for a while then. My job just moved down the street, and I need a new florist,” he explained as he wandered around, and when his hand moved briefly over a celosia Harry couldn’t find it within himself to care at all, especially not when Harry had an unobstructed view of the man’s arse in those trousers and _fuck_ Harry was going to be in trouble soon. “I buy flowers for my mum every week.” He turned around to look at Harry again, grinning when he noticed his eyes snapping back up.

Harry took a deep breath, his voice wavering slightly as he felt himself blush again. “I – you’ll be here every week? I – I can definitely help you with that, definitely.”

“Great! Do you think you could include these today? I’m not fussed about anything else. I’m useless when it comes to flowers and plants. They just, they feel like velvet and they kinda look like - ,” his hand brushed over the celosia again, and Harry hurried to grab them.

“Brains,” Harry supplied, chuckling at the sheepish look on the man’s face as he nodded. “Of course, just give me a minute,” he smiled at him as he grabbed a few more flowers and some greenery. As he worked to put the bouquet together behind the counter, he was happy to find that the work calmed him down slightly. He snuck a glance up at him, and when he was sure he wasn’t looking, quickly cast a small spell to prolong the life of the flowers to a week so they’d last perfectly until he came back again. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this attracted to someone, and he purposefully slowed his breathing down more as he wrapped it and tied a white ribbon about the stems.

“All done!” Harry smiled as the man came over to the counter, smiling as he looked at the bouquet Harry had made.

“Thank you, Harry. It’s perfect,” he smiled softly at him as he passed over his credit card. Harry’s hand shook slightly as he passed it back and when their fingers touched, they both gasped at the connection. Harry’s face flamed again – he knew it was his magic that had caused that. He could still feel it flowing through him like a tangible source after the contact. That had never happened before, and as Harry opened his mouth to apologise, the man spoke first.

“Thank you again,” he smiled at Harry as he picked up the arrangement and headed towards the door, and Harry quickly realised he didn’t know the man’s name.

“I – wait! Sorry, I just...what’s your name?” At the man’s eyebrow raise, Harry stumbled over his words, “It’s just, if you’re coming back, I thought I should…know.”

As the man looked at Harry, his smile only grew, and Harry’s heart thumped in his chest.

“My name’s Louis. Louis Tomlinson, and it was so lovely to meet you,” he shot one final grin in Harry’s direction, “I’ll see you next week, Harry.” And then he was gone.

“It was lovely to meet you too,” Harry whispered to the empty shop, putting his head on the counter, “ _Louis_ ”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	2. Sunflower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis' job, new nicknames, and Liam

“Niall, honestly. I’m not going to invite you here for lunch anymore if you can’t chew with your mouth closed,” Harry sighed as he watched the man across from him send crumbs flying as he cackled, but there’s the beginning of a smile on his face as he tucked his head into his shoulder to hide it from the room.

“C’mon, you know it’s just not the same without me here annoying you every day,” Niall replied happily as he picked up his fork again. “Besides, your staff love me so you’re a bit outnumbered mate.”

Harry threw his hands up where he was sat at the wooden workbench in the back room of the shop. “I never said I didn’t love you, Horan! Just, you know, chew with your mouth closed instead of spraying food all over my flowers,” he pouted slightly, folding his arms over his chest as he heard the scrape of a stool next to him and a group of voices laughing as they dropped into the conversation.

“Can’t say I disagree, mate. I just finished sorting all those orders for delivery later,” Ed was smiling though as he picked up his wand and banished the mess with a softly spoken _scourgify,_ the pink soapy bubbles vanishing instantly and leaving no damage to the delicate petals and leaves. “Shouldn’t you be working on the shop? How’s that coming along?”

Harry grinned down at his food as he listened to his two friends banter back and forth. Harry had met Ed just after Hogwarts at a pub in Hogsmeade, and when Harry had heard him perform at the open mic night, he’d struck up a conversation and they’d been friends ever since. Ed had been working as a bartender, but as the Hufflepuff had explained to Harry over the bar that night (with free drinks, thank you very much), he’d excelled at Herbology and always wanted to work with plants. He’d been the obvious choice for an assistant manager when Harry had opened the shop, and he hadn’t regretted it once. Ed had picked up the floristry and design quickly and while Harry had originally wanted him in working with Nick, he’d quietly asked to stay out the front to work with muggle flowers. Harry hadn’t looked back since, and when he’d hired Ed’s friends Mitch, Sarah, and Adam when the business grew, he couldn’t have predicted how close they’d all become.

Harry’s head jerked up slightly as he tuned back into the conversation, Niall’s voice drowning out everything else. “-so I’ve ordered all the equipment, which is apparently arriving this week,” Niall was bouncing around excitedly until Sarah gently pushed his shoulders down to still him with a chuckle. “I’m just so fucking excited, you know? I’ve wanted this for so long.”

Mitch looked at him fondly as he threw his arm around Sarah’s shoulder, pressing a quick kiss to her head as the shop’s bell rang and she ducked through the door and ruffled Harry’s hair on the way out.

“You deserve it, Horan,” Mitch stated as he grabbed a bucket of sunflowers out of the air that Ed was levitating from the cool room. “I’ve got some ideas for when you open.” As soon as he put the bucket down, five more followed it and Mitch let out a small noise when one whacked into his shoulder.

Niall grinned as he jumped off the stool to help, and Harry found his own mouth turning up in response. In all the years he’d known Niall, his smile hadn’t gotten less contagious. Harry moved smoothly around the table, banishing the dishes to the sink with a flick of his wrist and a quick _scourgify_ before one of the buckets next to his head tilted slightly, sending water splashing down Harry’s front just as Nick and Adam came in from the side shop.

Harry shot Nick a withering glare as Nick tried not to laugh. “Honestly Styles, it’s just a sign from the universe to finally get rid of those fucking awful Chelsea boots, I swear to Merlin.”

Harry flipped him off over his shoulder as he cast a drying charm on his clothing before turning back around with his hands on his hips. “What are you even doing in here? Who’s watching the shop?”

“Calm down, honestly. I’m going on lunch and Adam here is just grabbing some secateurs,” Nick explained as he threw himself up onto the bench.

Harry rolled his eyes and sat back down as Mitch walked past, a binder full of paper under his arm. He watched as the man opened the folder, roll up his sleeves, and start pulling pieces of paper out of pockets. Harry let out a small laugh as Mitch sighed, sorting through the invoices from the shop for the last week and he opened his mouth to comment just as Sarah walked back through the door carrying a small potted plant.

“Harry, it still won’t _grow_ and I don’t understand!” she complained as she gently dropped the pot in front of him, frustration showing in her every movement, “we’ve tried the muggle way, we’ve tried casting spells, and the bastard _still_ won’t grow!”

Harry frowned as he stood up, his fingers deftly moving his wand from his pocket as his free hand traced the leaves softly. They’d had no problem selling all the other pots that had come in because they’d grown perfectly, the spade shaped leaves slowly crawling up the lattice set into the dirt. This particular plant was inflexible though, and while it hadn’t died and seemed to be in perfect health, it wasn’t growing. It seemed to have become stagnant, stuck in a stage where it would never climb, or grow the delicate, white, trumpet shaped flowers it was known for.

With a slow circle of his wrist, Harry tried once more to let magic help. “ _Herbivicus_ ,” he muttered as a green ball of light appeared at the tip of his wand and on the plant, linked together by a strong jet of light. Harry’s eyes were transfixed on the sight, and he could feel everyone in the room watching and he distantly wondered if the plant would somehow refuse on principal. As the light faded away and the leaves shook slightly, Harry heard Sarah draw in a sharp, hopeful breath next to him. He carefully tucked his wand away but by the time the shaking had stopped, the plant hadn’t bloomed or grown even an inch.

Harry groaned and run his fingers through his hair, the long curls tickling the back of his neck as Sarah swore next to him and ducked back out to the shop.

Ed grinned at him as he started to fill vases from his wand. “Tough luck, mate. Maybe it can be our mascot.”

“Maybe I can use it next door! At the reception desk or summit’,” Niall added, inching slowly towards the pot.

“Don’t even think about! I know I can get it to bloom,” Harry said as he popped the plant on the sink behind him, a quickly spoken _augumenti_ slowly wetting the soil.

Niall stepped back with a frown, his fingers still outstretched as laughter fell in the background. “But H, it would like so nice in the shop! I know it’s your weird lil’ plant baby, but I promise I’ll look after it!”

“It will grow and flourish and all here in my shop,” Harry announced, rolling his eyes as Niall pouted at him, “you’re not taking it!”

His best friend’s face changed instantly as a slow grin overtook his features. “Speaking of not taking it Styles, have you been on any dates lately?” he shot back, turning around to grin at the room as Nick barked out a laugh with his legs swinging lightly. Even Mitch and Ed had small smirks on their faces. Traitors, honestly.

“I told you Horan, we’re _not_ having this conversation,” Harry said firmly, his eyes firmly on the floor as he walked to sit back on the stool.

“Seriously,” Nick piped up, wiping his eyes as he looked up at Harry, “there’s this guy that lives in my building, I could definitely introd-“

Harry screamed internally as he slapped his palm down on the table. He knew his friends were just trying to help and that they wanted him to be happy, but he hated blind dates and set ups. “Please, just…don’t,” he sighed as he pushed his hair back from his face, “I know you’re trying to help, but I’m not interested at the moment.” There was a moments silence before Mitch spoke up, his voice seeming overly loud in the quiet room.

“Who’s Louis then?”

Harry’s eyes widened as his head snapped up to look at Mitch, who was already looking at him curiously with the beginnings of a smile, an invoice in his hand. He tried to school his expression to brush it off, but he groaned when he made eye contact with Nick and realised it was too late. Nick made a gleeful noise, jumped off the bench, and snatched the paper out of Mitch’s hand before Harry had even managed to stand up. Harry’s eyes darted between his friends with a slight panic, taking in the look of amusement on all their faces (Niall just looked downright excited) as Nick opened the door to shout into the side shop.

“Adam! Quick, put the ‘back in five minutes’ sign up! It’s an emergency!” he called, ducking as Harry cast a gentle stinging jinx at him.

“Don’t tell him that! It’s not an emergency, it’s nothing, Louis is nothing!” Lies. They didn’t need to know that Harry had spent the weekend thinking of Louis’ eyes, how his eyes had crinkled at the corners when he’d smiled at him. Harry shook his head slightly to clear the image of Louis from his head just in time to see Niall walk back in from the front with Sarah in tow as Adam walked through the side door with a frown.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, concern lacing his tone, “I had to rush Amos out the door.”

Harry sighed and buried his head in his hands. “Seriously, it’s nothing. Nick is just being useless, as usual.”

Nick gasped indignantly and crossed his arms, the invoice still held tightly in his fingers. Harry knew he had no chance to grab it without tearing it, and Mitch still needed it for their records. “I resent that, Styles!” he finally looked at the invoice before letting out a high-pitched squeak, “oh _Merlin_ Harry, you drew a _heart_ on his invoice! Tell us everything, now.”

All of his friends gathered around as they passed the slip of paper around, smiling, laughing, and cooing at the heart that Harry couldn’t even remember drawing. Somehow in that moment, he couldn’t remember regretting anything more he did this.

“Look, he just-,” he let out a deep breath as Ed nodded encouragingly, slipping the invoice back to Mitch who hid in amongst the others as Harry felt a surge of affection for his friends. “He came in to get flowers for his mum and honestly, he’s- he’s so fucking gorgeous,” Harry smiled as Niall whistled, causing Nick to chuckle, “his eyes are so blue and he has a Northern accent and he was so _kind_. He’s coming in every week, apparently.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wished desperately he could grab them from the air and stuff them back.

“We HAVE to see him-”

“I will sit _on_ the register if I have to, I swear to-”

“Look at your face Harry, you’re so smitten, it’s-”

“I’ll kick Amos out every day if I have to, I want to meet-”

Harry laughed as he stood up, raising his hands above his head. “Okay, okay, stop it! None of you are going to meet him or talk to him or _anything_. He’s just,” he took a deep breath, “a gorgeous man that I want to kiss and date and marry and have his babies. That’s all.” Harry shrugged with a grin as he levitated a bucket of sunflowers over to his side of the work bench.

“Oh that’s _all_ , is it? Nothing serious, then?” Nick scoffed, but the smile on his face took away from the harsh tone.

“Seriously mate, I don’t think I’ve ever seen ya this smitten with someone you just met,” Niall jumped in, “his eyes must be blue as fuck.” Harry heard Nick and Ed snort out a laugh as Adam slipped back out through the side door with a grin.

“He said I was like a baby deer, Niall,” Harry said as he pulled out the first yellow flower.

“So did I!”

“Well yeah, but I don’t want to push you against the wall and kiss _you_ until you can’t even breathe, do I?”

“No offense mate, but I bloody hope not.”

Harry smiled as the room burst into laughter. His fingers slid over the bright petals and inspected the centre before he grabbed his secateurs and started to trim the stems. As the room quietened down and the vases filled with blooms, Harry couldn’t help that hope Louis liked sunflowers.

 

********

The shrill sound of his alarm jolted Louis out of a lovely night’s sleep as his hand shot out from under the covers, blindly fumbling to shut the noise off. When the room finally fell silent again, he groaned, arching his back to stretch with a soft yawn, his back cracking with a satisfying noise. Just as he was about to go close his eyes for another five minutes, his phone chimed with a new text. Louis breathed out a heavy sigh, sitting up slowly to grab his phone, his eyes blinking to adjust to the bright screen as a text from Bebe sat staring at him.

7:34am

Morning babe, want me to grab you a coffee on the way in from that place?

Louis blinked as he fought the daze of sleep still surrounding him, the vanishing memories of a brilliant dream drifting further away as he tried desperately to cling to it. As hard as he tried, he could only remember green eyes, long, ringed fingers, and warm, desperate heat. He threw himself back on the bed with a huff, his phone clutched in one hand while the other ran gently down his body. He lightly wrapped his fingers around himself where he was still half hard and just when he was contemplating whether he had time for a wank, his phone chimed with another message. He chose to ignore it, slipping his fingers just underneath the waistband of his pants. Just as Louis’ fingers brushed against the head of his cock and he took a sharp breath, his phone chimed _again_ , and he quickly withdrew his hand to stand up.

“Okay, okay,” he grumbled, angrily grabbing his phone as he moved to the bathroom, “I get it. No time for an orgasm, fucking hell.”

Louis opened his messages to see both were from Liam asking if he wanted to catch up tomorrow night, so Louis quickly tapped out an affirmative saying he’d call tomorrow to make plans. As he turned on the shower and took his pants off, he realised he’d never replied to Bebe and opened the thread, aimlessly using his other hand to test the water.

7:40am

_Seriously? Why the fuck would I want a coffee?_

7:40am

_If you even think about buying me a coffee, we’re done_

7:41am

_…but if you got me a tea, you’d be a fucking lifesaver_

******

As soon as Louis walked into the office at 9am, Bebe accosted him in the foyer, shoving a cup of tea dangerously close to his face. Louis faltered in his steps as he spluttered, his arms flailing slightly and almost knocking the hot drink into his own face.

“Fucking _hell_ ,” he hissed, finding his balance again and running his hands down his front to make sure nothing had spilled. He reached out and carefully took the tea from Bebe, watching as she smirked at him and sipped her coffee. “One day you’ll burn me, you know, and you’ll have to work here without me.” He grinned at her as he took a sip of his tea, humming at the warmth settling in his stomach as she heard her scoff.

“Please! You’d miss me more than I’d miss you, babe,” Bebe shot back, quickly making her way towards to glass doors, “and don’t pretend you’d be any good without me, you dick.”

Louis laughed as she smiled, holding open the door for her as he sent a quick wave to the receptionist. They stepped onto the open floor and started walking among the cubicles to their shared office, the large room already full of life. Louis could barely hear Bebe talking over the sounds of laughter and gossip ricocheting around the room as his co-workers made the most of the dreary Tuesday morning.

Just as he started to turn around at the mention of the football game last night, he accidentally walked straight into Bebe’s back with a low grunt.

As Louis quickly steadied himself and his tea (if he drops it, he’ll never forgive himself), Bebe turned around and shot him a quick glare.

“Seriously babe, it’s not like you know where our office is and has been for at least two years,” she raised her eyebrows at him, pushing the door open as Louis grinned apologetically and swiftly moved past her.

“If we’re pointing fingers, love, when have I ever drank fucking coffee?”

Louis quickly put everything down on his desk and took a long swig of tea as their closing door burst open again, causing Louis to finally drop his cup onto the office floor. He hissed out a breath, jumping to his feet to grab the offending piece of cardboard and ignoring Bebe’s bark of laughter.

“Who the fuck likes Tuesdays anyway?” he asked, throwing the cup in the bin under his desk and staring mournfully at the spilt tea on the carpet.

Bebe was still laughing as she came around the desk with paper towel, throwing it to the ground and lightly stepping on it to soak up the moisture. Louis had met Bebe when they’d both started at Direction Publishing on the same day and had been shoved into the same office five minutes after meeting. It’d been a slightly rocky start, only due to the fact they were both new and trying to navigate their way through their new roles and the company. However, one day, two weeks after they’d started, Louis had knocked his mug of tea flying across the room for the third time when he’d been gesturing wildly on the phone to Liam. He’d sat staring at the middle of the room in shock before looking up at Bebe as she walked briskly out of the room. Louis had sighed dejectedly, told Liam he’d ruined the tentative friendship they’d had, hung up, and tried to clean it with tissues on his desk. Just as he’d realised it was useless, a roll of paper towel and landed on his head and Bebe was smirking at him as she returned to her desk. Louis had been silently pleased, but the next day when he came in, there was 12 new rolls of paper towel on his desk wrapped in red ribbon. He’d laughed in shock, invited Bebe for after works drinks while she sat there smirking at her computer and ever since, both always had paper towel in their desks and an incredible friendship and working relationship.

Louis was throwing paper towels in the bin when the person who had made him spill his tea finally spoke.

“Seriously man, can we just have one week where you don’t stain the carpet?”

Despite the exasperated tone, Louis felt his lips pulling up into a grin as he flipped off the man leaning against the door frame. “We could Steve, but then it wouldn’t be the same, would it?” he flung himself into his chair before swinging around dramatically to face him, “What can we do for you this cheery Tuesday?”

Steve snorted before throwing down a thick stack of paper onto Louis’ desk with a loud _thwack_ , his dark hair swaying with the effort.

“I’m bringing you a present, you menace,” he responded, sitting down in the chair in front of Louis’ desk before throwing his head back to look at Bebe upside down, “I’ve sent you a copy too, it should be in your inbox.”

Louis clapped his hands together sharply and rolled his eyes. “Work? Oh Steve, what a brilliant gift! You just get me, don’t you?” he leant forward to rest his chin on his hands, elbows on the desk as he fluttered he eyelashes.

“Alright then, I guess I’ll just take it back,” Steve let out a heavy sigh as he picked up the manuscript and stood up. Louis glanced across the room and could see the wide grin on Bebe’s face as she obviously read the email he’d sent her. “I guess you don’t want to find out what happens to Petra, then,” he added nonchalantly as he moved towards the door, and Bebe let out a giggle as Louis shot up out of his seat.

“Wait, I’m sorry! Please give it to me!” Louis begged, half joking and half serious, “I take it back, it’s a great present! Best present I’ve ever gotten! Gimme,” he finished, reaching for the draft with grabby hands.

Steve rolled his eyes and sighed, handing to Louis, who clutched it tightly to his chest. “Here you go, and don’t go making changes until Bebe’s done this time,” he walked towards the door and turned before he left, “also, it _is_ your job, you dickhead.”

Louis made a noise of acknowledgment as he sat down, his eyes already greedily reading over the cover page.

“Louis, seriously, don’t change anything until I’m done, you wanker,” Bebe called out as she lobbed a pencil at him. He squeaked as it hit him in the forehead before looking up to glare at her.

“I know how the job works,” he snapped back, his expression softening before he quickly threw an eraser at her, chuckling as she ducked to avoid it, “I’m just gonna read it, I swear.”

Bebe rolled her eyes at him. “Are you sure you don’t want the electronic copy?”

Louis scoffed as he turned the first page. He’d always preferred printed manuscripts, loving the feeling of holding a book (unfinished or not) in his hands, and it made making quick notes much easier as he read through. He’d been a proofreading editor almost his entire career, checking spelling, grammar, syntax, removing inconsistencies in tense or expression, and much more to ensure that the book was ready to be published. He was the last step in the process, which meant he had to wait until Bebe, a structural editor who worked with basically ensuring a story made sense, had finished her job.

“I’m sure, love,” he replied as he grabbed his glasses and settled back to read the story, “I swear, I just want to read it.

She sighed at him, and Louis shot a glare her way when he realised how much he’d been sighed at today. “Okay, but I swear, if you pick up that pencil Tomlinson,” she pointed at him threateningly.

Louis rolled his eyes before putting his feet up on the desk to start reading.

Not before sneaking his pencil first, though.

*******

Louis groaned as he stretched in his office chair, his back cracking slightly as he twisted his torso with his arms raised above his head. He settled back down as his gaze returned to the printed manuscript in front of him. The book he’d been given in the morning was ‘Scarlet Sun’, the third book in a young adult fantasy series he’d been editing since the beginning. They’d been given the first novel, ‘Green Dawn’, in his first six months at the company and he knew how much faith and trust had been instilled in them with the move. Since then, he’d fallen into the YA fantasy genre so easily it was like he was made for it.

He’d been able to see this series, one revolving heavily around an almost cliché story of magical teenagers coming of age, learning spells, and defeat evil, rise in popularity and bloom. Louis was so proud of everything it had accomplished and was always waiting with bated breath for the author to call, message, email, or drop by with news.

Louis had been so distracted with the story during the day that he was startled when Bebe dropped down in front of his desk.

“It’s almost home time babe, c’mon,” she said softly, grinning when he yawned.

“Perfect timing. Just finished it. S’brilliant,” he said with a smile.

Bebe grinned back at him before standing up and picking up her bag. “I knew it would be. C’mon, let’s leave before Steve bursts back in here with more work.”

Louis chuckled as he stood up and stretched again before making his way out the door, following Bebe back through the maze of cubicles to the lift. Just as the doors were about to close, Steve ducked in with a sheepish grin.

“Not just your home time, you slackers,” he says, reaching over to push the button to the ground floor, “you’re in at 10 tomorrow, aren’t you Louis?”

Just as Louis nodded an affirmative, Bebe spoke up from the back. “Oh, that reminds me! With the move out this way, did you manage to find a new florist last week?”

Louis stayed silent as the lift opened and they pile out, feeling the blood rush to his cheeks. Oh, he definitely found a florist. He realised he’d been too quiet when they stopped outside, and Louis had reached into his pocket to pull out a cigarette and lighter. He chanced a glance at them, seeing them staring at him with slight confusion, before he felt the redness in his cheeks become more pronounced as he lit his cigarette and took a quick drag.

“Are you-,” Steve hesitated with a small smile, “are you _blushing?_ ” he asked incredulously while Bebe snorted in the background before reaching over to steal a drag from his cigarette.

“Spill, Tomlinson,” she demanded as she handed it back to him.

Louis groaned, closed his eyes, and tipped his head back, seemingly speaking to the sky. “Yes, I found a new florist, yes he’s very fit, no I will not tell you where his shop is,” he got out through gritted teeth. He took another drag, blowing the smoke out of his mouth when Bebe spoke again.

“Oh my god, this is perfect,” she shouted, jumping up and down slightly as she clapped her hands together, “tell me _everything_. What does he look like? Is he hot?”

Louis shot a desperate look at Steve, but groaned when his friend looked just as interested, his eyebrow raised as he waved his hand at Louis to continue.

“Fine! His name’s Harry and he’s fucking beautiful, alright? He’s tall, taller than me,” he ignored the snide ‘ _that’s not hard, mate’_ from Steve as he exhaled another cloud of smoke, “and he has the greenest eyes, honestly, and he’s so pretty. His hair was pulled back in a bun, and he’s just _so pretty_ ,” Louis rushed out in a breath, regretting his words when he saw the matching looks of glee on his friend’s faces. “He’s also so sweet, and awkward, and the flowers he made for mum were gorgeous.” He took the final drag of his cigarette and put it out in the ashtray to his left before looking to Bebe and Steve again, their faces soft.

“Ask him out! Do it, it’s been bloody ages since you’ve been on a date,” Bebe said as they all turned to walk together, “what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Louis scoffed. “There’s so many things. He could be straight, he might be taken, he might think I look like a troll,” Louis continued as Bebe lightly slapped the back of his head and Steve cackled, “what!? It’s true!”

Bebe stopped him in the middle on the sidewalk with both hands on his shoulders. “Louis. You’re fucking hot, alright? You know it, I know, bloody Steve knows it,” she proclaimed as Steve shrugged with a sly smile on his face causing Louis to bark out a laugh, “and you’ll never know about the other stuff if you don’t _ask_ , okay?” As Louis sighed, nodding and pulling away, she continued, “besides, you really need to get laid.”

“Oi! I’m fine, thanks love,” Louis answered as he felt himself blushing again. He couldn’t help but let his mind wander back to the fantasy of Harry sitting him on the counter of his shop, standing between his thighs and kissing him so intensely that he couldn’t stand properly afterwards. He was pulled out of his thoughts again by Steve talking.

“Besides, you begged me to _give it to you_ today, but I’m happily married so please take that back to Harry tomorrow morning.”

Louis groaned and pushed Steve slightly, causing him to knock into Bebe, and if it distracted them enough to let him think about Harry’s hands again. Well. That was just a happy accident.

*****

_‘It’s called what?’_

Louis sighed into his phone as he walked quickly down the street. “The Lone Hydrangea, Liam. Do keep up.”

He heard a snort of laughter as he smiled at the ground, turning the corner onto the street where Harry’s shop was. His heart stopped slightly at the thought of seeing Harry again and he cursed under his breath, shaking his head slightly to clear his mind.

 _‘Mate, you can’t be serious,’_ Liam said as Louis walked slower to finish up their call.

“It’s brilliant! It’s a pun, Payno!” he exclaimed as he stopped out the front of the shop next to the florist, “the Lone Ranger. The movie. Get it?”

Louis heard Liam sigh as he looked up at the dark storefront in front of him, the black paint and gold lettering reading ‘Phoenix’. It was a harsh contrast to Harry’s storefront, wood and colours and lush greenery, Louis mused, but somehow, they seemed to complement each other.

 _‘I get it, Tommo. You know I love puns,’_ Louis startled back from where he was standing in front of the black store’s door as it burst open, a man with brown hair humming with a smile on his face stepping through it before almost skipping into Harry’s store. _‘Are we still on for tonight?’_

“Yeah, mate. Come ‘round about 6:30, I’ll be home by then.”

_‘Great! See you then, mate.’_

Louis murmured out a goodbye before ending the call and walking confidently up to the door, fixing his tie briefly before swinging the door open and stepping inside.

Before he had time to think about the fact that the man from next door wasn’t in the room, he was hit with the exact same feelings as last time he’d come here. He closed his eyes briefly, breathing in the scent of the combined flowers and arrangements that seemed to calm him slightly, reminding him of his mum’s perfume. He opened his eyes to take it all in and grinned when he saw more of the red velvety flowers from last week (not that he needed more of them). He frowned slightly when he realised Harry wasn’t in the shop and just when the slight feeling of disappointment started to settle in his stomach, the door next to the counter opened and Harry walked through, carrying a vase of bright yellow flowers. Louis couldn’t focus on the flowers.

His eyes started at Harry’s shoes first, travelling slowly up his body, past the black jeans so tight Louis’ fingers itched with the urge to wrap them around Harry’s thighs, and past the floral printed shirt he was wearing. He finally reached his head just as Harry put the vase on the counter, and he made an embarrassingly loud gurgling sound.

Harry had curls.

Long, brown, curls that hung just past his shoulders and looked so _soft_ that Louis was struck with an intense need to run his fingers through them and – for fucks sake, Louis, he chastised himself with a small groan. Get a _grip_. Harry’s eyes had snapped up at the sound and when Louis looked at him again, he was beaming at him and running his fingers through the curls to push them off his face. _Fuck_.

“Louis! Hi, how are you?”

Louis’ footsteps faltered at Harry’s deep timber, and he plastered a grin on his face to hide the thoughts in his head. “Harry,” damn it, his voice was too soft and fond. He cleared his throat, but when he spoke again, he somehow sounded even fonder. “I’m well, thanks love. How are you?” Louis mentally slapped himself for the slip of the pet name, but when he looked up, he saw the blush on Harry’s cheeks and his heart thudded almost painfully in his chest.

Harry seemed to fiddle with something on the bench before smiling at Louis. “I’m good, I’m well, thank you,” he breathed out. Louis moved up to the bench and just as he opened his mouth to speak, Harry seemed to twitch and knock over the vase holding the flowers.

Louis jolted forward, grabbing the vase before it could topple all the way over, and righted it on the counter. When he looked back up to Harry, he was standing staring at him with wide eyes and a hand over his mouth, shuffling awkwardly around the counter to stand next to him.

“I’m _so_ sorry, honestly I – I’m not normally this uncoordinated, I don’t know – I’m so sorry!” Harry rushed out, fumbling over his words until Louis stopped him with a gentle hand on his bicep. He could feel how warm Harry’s skin was even through the fabric of his shirt and swore he could feel an almost tangible jolt of electricity at the contact.

“Harry, honestly it’s fine, nothing even happened to me,” Louis laughed as Harry’s face seemed to take on a more permanent blush, “besides, it makes sense, with you being Bambi and all.”

Harry looked confused before he asked with a shy smile on his face, “Bambi? Is that my new nickname?”

“Well like I said last week, Curly, you’re like a baby deer,” Louis stepped back to put some unwanted distance between them as Harry laughed brightly.

“Curly? I can’t have too many nicknames, you know,” he shot back, his shy smile turning slightly cheeky the longer Louis looked at him.

“Okay, okay,” Louis sighed as he hid a smile and turned around, “Bambi it is then.”

He heard Harry groan, but when he turned back around there was a smile on his face.

“Fine! But I get to give you an embarrassing nickname too.”

Harry looked at him expectantly, but Louis was too distracted when he’d finally noticed what flowers were in the vase Harry had almost sent crashing to the ground. He let out a small gasp and moved closer again. “Sunflowers,” he whispered, reaching out to gently touch the dark centre of one, “they’re my favourite, you know.” He thought he heard a whispered _I’d hoped so_ , but when his eyes shot up to meet Harry’s, he was too distracted to mention it.

Harry cleared his throat, breaking the eye contact and moving further into the shop. “Would you like me to use them in the bouquet this week?”

“I’d love you to, please,” Louis answered, watching Harry as he picked up flowers and leaves that Louis knew nothing about. “What’s your favourite flower, then?”

Harry paused in his movements but answered without hesitation. “Hydrangeas.” Louis grinned, looking at him as Harry looked up and grinned back.

“The shop name makes a bit more sense now,” Louis observed as he wandered around, following Harry as he moved back to the counter, “I won’t lie though; the name’s half the reason I came here.”

Harry let out a bark of laughter as he pulled the sunflowers out of the vase. “It’s a great pun,” he nodded solemnly, his hands moving efficiently to organise the different flowers into something that already looked stunning.

Louis nodded seriously before responding. “The best, I’d say. Do you also like the Lone Ranger?”

Harry shook his head slightly where it was still bent over the counter, hands working to incorporate more greenery. “Nah,” when he looked at Louis, his eyes were sparkling slightly, “I hate it actually. The pun was just way too good to give up. Took me three whole days to think of it.”

“Ah, well that’s completely fair enough, mate,” Louis couldn’t help but notice Harry’s hands falter slightly at the nickname, and worked quickly to fix it, “worth it though, Bambi.”

“Thank you, Louis,” Harry replied softly, his eyes flicking up to look at Louis through his lashes. Louis’ fingers twitched again where they laid against the counter, and Harry’s suddenly wide eyes seemed to track the small movement. “I’ve thought of your nickname, you know.”

“Oh? C’mon then.”

“Sunshine,” Harry announced proudly as he finished the arrangement, tying it together tightly with another white ribbon. Louis’ breath seemed to catch in his throat; _sunshine._ He was definitely okay with that. “You know, be-because of the sunflowers.” Harry seemed nervous, his hand fidgeting slightly underneath the counter.

Louis smiled softly at him. “Just because of the sunflowers, hey Bambi?” he shot a quick wink at Harry and felt something rush through him at the blush that fought its way back to Harry’s face.

“Is it weird? It’s weird, isn’t it? I’m sorry, I didn’t – ” Louis cut Harry off gently.

“It’s not weird, love,” he replied happily, “you can call me Sunshine whenever you like. I think I’d like that, to be honest,” Louis’ voice cracked slightly at the confession.

Harry’s eyes grew before he handed Louis the bouquet and ducked his head to whisper, “Good.”

He silently handed Harry his credit card and tried not to react when their fingers brushed again when Harry gave it back to him a minute later.

Louis looked around the room slowly, not ready to leave but knowing he had to get to work, when his eyes fell on a small, green potted plant sitting alone on one of the benches. “What’s that?” he asked, breaking the delicate silence that had fallen between them and clutching the flowers to his chest.

“Oh! It’s a moonflower plant,” Louis could hear the frown in Harry’s voice and turned to look at him, his eyebrow raised in question.

“Is that a bad thing? I don’t know a single thing about plants, they always die when I’m around,” Louis sighed, “although! Those flowers you gave me last week are still alive, so that’s a plus.” He turned around just in time to see what looked like panic cross Harry’s expression, but it was gone as quickly as it came and he was rushing towards Louis and picking up the pot.

“Careful, Bambi,” Louis said amusedly as he turned away at a slight noise in the back room, “I don’t want you to hurt yourself.” He turned back to Harry just in time to see the man tucking something quickly back into his pocket.

“Please take it, Louis, I promise nothing bad will happen to it.”

Louis looked at him in shock as Harry extended the pot to him. “Harry, love, if you want it to _die,_ I will happily take it, but I can’t take it if you expect me to look after it. I honestly know nothing about plants.”

Harry made a small noise of protest before thrusting the plant towards Louis again. “Please take it. It’s driving me crazy sitting here, and I know it’ll be fine with you,” Harry was looking at him with doe eyes, and Louis groaned before taking the pot from him, grinning when Harry let out a sound of triumph. He juggled the pot and the bouquet briefly before getting a firm grip on both.

“Fine, I’ll take it,” he looked sternly at Harry, who smiled innocently back at him, “but if it dies, you can only blame yourself!”

Harry giggled, fucking _giggled_ , and Louis realised he was even more fucked now.

“I’ll take full responsibility.”

“Good,” Louis shot back, before looking at the clock on the wall and sighing, “I have to go, but I’ll be back next week.” Harry’s face fell in disappointment, and Louis knew his echoed the same sentiment.”

“Okay, I’ll get the door for you.”

As Louis was leaving, smiling shyly up at Harry before turning on his heel to walk to the tube, he swore he heard a whispered ‘ _Bye, Sunshine’_ behind him.

He almost skipped the whole way.

******

The knock on the door came just as Louis had grabbed two beers from the fridge. He rushed to the door and when Liam stepped inside with a grin that crinkled his eyes at the corners, Louis pulled him into a quick hug. Liam huffed out a laugh but wrapped his arms around him, squeezing tightly before letting go to step into the entry way.

“Tommo,” his face was soft as he looked at Louis, “how are you, mate?”

Louis took the Chinese take-out from Liam’s hand and gestured towards the kitchen before he answered. “Yeah I’m alright. Just tired, you know how it is.”

Liam’s hand clapped down briefly with a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder before he moved to grab some plates, Liam helpfully getting some cutlery from the drawer. They’d done this so many times that they moved seamlessly. They’d met at university, Liam studying teaching, Louis studying to be an editor, and they hadn’t gotten along for weeks. It took one drunken night at a party to begin the incredible friendship they had now, and Louis was always so grateful that he had Liam in his life.

“I know what you mean,” Liam exhaled heavily as he moved to the small table in the centre of Louis’ open space flat. Louis had fallen in love with the open plan, the kitchen, dining space, and lounge space all combined in one large room. There was large floor to ceiling windows with a sliding door onto a balcony, his bedroom, a spare, and the bathroom hidden down a small hallway. It was a bit on the small side, but Louis couldn’t bear moving.

Louis clucked his tongue at Liam as they sat down, shoving noodles into his mouth before speaking. “Tough week at school? Are your students being arseholes again?”

“They’re teenagers, Louis,” Liam grimaced at Louis’ mouthful of food before pausing to take his own bite, “of course they’re being arseholes.”

Louis chuckled and took a swig of his beer. “Are they really that bad?” he asked as he stuck his tongue out slightly, concentrating on twirling noodles around his fork.

“Nah, not really. Honestly, you get used to it,” Liam seemed to be deep in thought when Louis looked up again, “although I did catch one of them giving another one a blowjob in class the other day.”

Louis suddenly started choking on his food as he coughed desperately, watching with watery eyes as Liam jumped up to slap him a few times on the back. By the time he’d coughed up the bit of food and his breathing was back to normal, Liam was back in his seat grinning at him. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you choke.”

“Li, what the fuck?” Louis demands hoarsely, “what did you even do?!”

“Sent ‘em to the principal. Absolute nightmares, honestly. How’s your week been?”

Louis slowly and cautiously took another bite of food, glaring at it and ignoring the amused look from Liam. “Better than yours, by the sound of it. Oh!” he quickly exclaimed, his fork clattering to his plate in his excitement, “I got the new book for the Moonlight series! It’s so good, seriously.” Liam looked pleased at the news, and when he realised they’d both finished, stood up to clear their plates, despite Louis’ half-hearted protests.

“That’s great news! I can’t wait to read – ow,” there was a soft thud and Liam grimaced as he set the plates back down on the table before staring at the floor. “Louis?”

“Yes Li?

Louis had rushed to take the plates to the kitchen before coming back to assess the damage to Liam’s foot and when he came back around the kitchen counter, he realised what Liam had stubbed his toe on.

“Why is there a real life, living, still somehow green plant on your _floor_ in a _pot?”_ Liam’s voice sounded incredulous as he stared at Louis, the pain in his foot forgotten, “you’re notoriously well known for not keeping plants alive.”

Louis visibly bristled under Liam’s gaze, but then he realised he was right, and his shoulders dropped. “I don’t know! Harry gave it to me and said I should have it and his eyes are so _green_ Li, and he called me sunshine and I just – ” Liam held up a hand to stop his rambling and Louis’ mouth snapped shut at the smug look on his face.

“Let me get this straight, Tommo. You took a plant, which you have no idea about, because an assumedly pretty man asked you to, and are keeping it on your floor for some reason?” Liam asked as he raised his eyebrows.

“A very pretty man,” Louis mumbled. Liam let out a loud laugh.

“Okay then, because a _very_ pretty man told you to?”

Louis whined, putting his head in his hands before running his fingers through his hair. “You try saying no to Bambi!”

“ _Bambi?!_ ”

“He’s like a baby deer Payno, I swear to God.”

Liam stared at him for a beat before a wide grin broke out over his face. “You’re already in deep and you’ve known him what, two weeks?” he ducked as Louis threw a coaster at him.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Louis sighed as they picked up their drinks and moved to sit down on the grey L shaped couch in his lounge room, “hopefully plants work the same as flowers, then I know it’ll last at least a week.” Silence greeted him, and when he turned to look at Liam with confusion on his face, he saw the same expression mirrored back.

“What do you mean, mate? Flowers last a few days, at the most usually,” Liam said as he shifted to get comfortable.

“But…when I took the new bouquet to see mum today, the old one was still alive,” Louis replied as he moved his legs up onto the couch to curl up under himself, “is that not – do they not do that? Is that not normal? I just thought maybe the old florist was shit.”

“Nah, Tommo,” Liam answered slowly, almost carefully, “that’s not normal for flowers. They last like, no time at all, mate.” Thankfully Liam’s gaze shifted to the TV in front of them and he left Louis to drown slightly in his thoughts, filled with everlasting flowers and Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	3. Dahlia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stinksap, wands, and a night out

The first thing Harry saw when he walked into the back room on Tuesday afternoon was Nick standing frozen in the middle of the room surrounded by at least a dozen grey, cactus-looking plants that littered the floor (which was covered in soil), buckets of dahlias in a rush of colours covering the table, and dozens of large terracotta pots stacked precariously against the wall. Harry threw his hands over his mouth to stop from laughing as Nick’s eyes shot up to meet his across the room.

“Don’t even think about laughing, you prick!” Nick blurted out, his voice pitched slightly higher than usual as he waved an accusing finger in Harry’s direction, “this is your fault!” Nick squealed, jumping slightly as the lumpy cactus seemed to spit something at him.

Harry finally lost the battle and let out a loud cackle of laughter, resting his hands on his knees for a second to catch his breath. “How on Earth is this _my_ fault, you tosser.”

“You’re the one who - _argh, fucking hell that’s rancid –_ ordered everything to be delivered at the same time,” Nick twisted to avoid the stink sap being fired from several different plants, almost falling over and sending Harry into another fit of laughter, “Help me! I left my wand downstairs, and everything just appeared at once!”

“How am I supposed to help you?” Harry grinned as he leaned against the door frame, crossing his feet at the ankles, “you work with magical plants, Nick. Aren’t you supposed to know how to handle them? Besides,” Harry continued as he pushed off the wall to slowly inch forward, “I didn’t ask for everything to be delivered all at once; call it a…happy accident.”

Nick scoffed loudly enough to frighten the shaking plants underneath him, causing them to spit more sap, and Harry to pause in his movements. “I wouldn’t call this a happy ANYTHING. You’re a wizard, Harry! Use your bloody wand.”

Harry laughed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, _wingardium leviosa_ leaving his lips along with a flick of his wrist. Twelve of the pots drifted quickly through the air to settle next to each plant, and another flick of Harry’s wand had soil from the floor filling the pots. As he started to levitate each separate plant into its own individual pot, Nick spoke up again.

“You didn’t even tell me we were getting mimbulus mimbletonia in; scared the shit out of me when they turned up,” he said, gingerly stepping through the soil to move away as Harry continued to levitate them into their new homes.

“I know, I’m sorry,” Harry replied apologetically, his eyes never leaving them as they squirmed slightly before settling, “I knew I’d never get the chance again to have this many again, so I jumped at it.” Harry called the last sentence through the open door as Nick ran down to get his wand before returning with a large container.

“I was going to ask where these came from,” Nick mused, levitating the potted mimbletonia into the container to be able to carry them downstairs easier, “they’re quite rare, Styles. How’d you come across all of these?”

Harry’s tongue poked out between his teeth slightly where they were caught in concentration as he finished up with the last one and vanished the soil with a soft _evanesco._ He sighed, wiping his brow and helped Nick with the last few pots. “I ran into Pomona Sprout in Hogsmeade the other day when Gems and I were out for dinner, and I mentioned them. She happened to know someone who grows them.”

“Oh, how is she? I haven’t seen her in almost six months,” Nick grunted out as he levitated the full container and sent it slowly down to Adam, “ADAM. HEADS UP.” He turned back to Harry with a grin as he shrugged, “what? He’ll be fine.”

Harry shot him an exasperated glare as he moved over to the bench. “She’s going well, said she’ll be coming into the shop sometime in the next couple of days. She’s been on holiday, apparently,” Harry’s voice trailed off slightly as he finally got a proper look at the dahlias on his work surface. The soft, delicate, twisted petals made him smile as he inspected them closely, the reds, pinks, purples, oranges, and whites combining to make a stunning image. With another flick of his wrist and a mumbled charm, half of the buckets flew to the cool room as the door swung open.

Harry sat down, pulling a bucket towards himself as Nick settled opposite him to finally eat his lunch. A loud crash and a muffled curse sounded from downstairs and as Harry got up, looking at Nick in alarm, Nick shook his head with a shrug and a sly smile. “Where were you, anyway? You and Horan usually eat over here.”

“Niall needed a hand with some of the finishing touches next door,” Harry replied, wand tucked back into his jeans and hands working effortlessly to strip and trim the flowers.

Nick’s face lit up, “How _is_ the shop coming? Surely, he’s almost done,” Nick mumbled out through a bite of his food, “I can’t wait, I’ve been sending him ideas for months’ now.”

Harry flicked his eyes up and grinned at Nick as the dahlias fell carefully into a pile on the bench. “He is done, just hiring staff now,” he moved the empty bucket to the sink before filling a vase with a quick _augumenti_ , sending the flowers to sit in there as he levitated it to the only open bench space, “he’s just hired a receptionist, and he was telling me about this guy he wants to work with him, Shawn I think? He sounded like a good guy. Where’s everyone else?”

“Mitch is out doing a delivery, Ed and Sarah are out the front with customers, and Adam’s downstairs, hopefully not covered in stink sap,” he considered before moving his dishes to the sink to clean them with a _scourgify_ , turning around and almost walking straight into the other terracotta pots stacked, “What are these for, Styles? If you say more mimbletonia, I’m quitting.”

Harry barked out a laugh and rolled his eyes, “No, they’re for the bouncing bulbs. We need to repot them in a couple of weeks, so I figured I’d just get a head start on the ordering.”

“Oh! I forgot to mention,” Nick announced just as Harry heard the back door open, “We’re going out this weekend,” Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Nick silenced him with a glare as cold as ice, “and don’t you even _think_ about saying no. It’s been months, Harry.”

“Yeah, H!” Harry groaned as Niall’s voice chimed in as he pulled himself up to sit on the wooden bench running along the wall next to the sink, “maybe you could invite Louis.”

Harry’s head snapped up as Niall wiggled his eyebrows, causing Nick to burst out laughing. “Fine,” Harry sighed, resigning himself to his fate, “I’ll come out, but just this once! I still haven’t recovered properly from last time.” He muttered as Nick got up to give him a quick hug, his arms wrapped around Harry’s chest. Harry rolled his eyes but leaned back into Nick as Niall shot him an excited grin.

“Yes! Time ta get wasted, lads! We’ll have to invite the others too, even though they never come,” Niall pondered, as Nick put his dishes away.

Harry chuckled as he finished up with the first half of the blooms in front of him, and as he opened his mouth to respond, the door that led to downstairs suddenly slammed open and hit the wall. Harry jumped in his seat before his instincts caused him to grab his wand as Nick let out a small scream. As his mind focused, a horrible smell settled over the room and he realised it was Adam standing in the door way. He was covered in stink sap, and Harry could already see that Nick’s hands were pressed as tightly as possible over his mouth to keep his laughter in.

“Grimshaw,” Adam gritted out as he slowly stepped forward, “I’m going to kill you,” he lunged at Nick as he ran around the bench with a giggle before spinning around to face him.

“Sorry, love, but I didn’t want to be the only one smelling like crap today,” he quickly explained before disapparating with a pop, presumedly downstairs.

Adam stared incredulously at the spot where he’d been standing before looking at Harry. Harry looked at him sheepishly before raising his wand.

“ _Scourgify?”_

_*******_

_Louis threw his head back and groaned as Harry’s lips travelled down the column of his throat, sucking a mark into the skin. His hands splayed across the small of Louis’ back, pulling him closer to the edge of the bench as Harry somehow moved further into the space between his spread legs._

_He could feel Louis, hot and hard against his thigh, and he exhaled a shaky breath before one hand slid up to tangle in Louis’ hair, the other a steady pressure as it moved down to grip onto the swell of his arse. Harry’s fingers twisted slightly through Louis’ hair as his other hand ran the length of his thigh, holding with a tight grip to wrap it around his waist before sliding back up, grazing Louis’ side gently before moving up his neck to cup his face, pulling back to rub his thumbs gently over Louis’ cheekbones._

_“Lou,” he exhaled, so close to Louis that he could feel a rush of air when Louis answered with a whine, his other leg coming up to wrap around Harry. His heels dug into Harry’s back, forcing him as close as possible, and Harry’s movements stuttered when their cocks rubbed together, and Harry finally connected their lips._

_Heat. All Harry could feel was heat, somehow soft and hard at the same time as they came together again and again. Louis’ fingers gripped tightly onto Harry’s shirt to make sure he couldn’t break away, but somehow Harry felt like he was drifting away. He tried to cling tighter to Louis, not ready to let go, but it was almost like the harder he tried, the further away Louis seemed to be. He opened his eyes in desperation, stopping when he saw blue staring back at him, pupils dilated, and –_

Harry jolted out of sleep, his eyes wide as he realised he was panting slightly, and that he was hard. He flopped back down onto his mattress, his eyes flicking to the clock next to his wardrobe. 9:05am.

“Fuck!”

He leapt out of bed, shoving his jeans and boots on as he hopped awkwardly around the room. He threw his hair back in a high bun, trying to unlock his phone to call Ed to explain. He cursed as he summoned a clean white t shirt from his closet, cast a quick charm on his mouth to clean his teeth and freshen his breath before pulling on the shirt and apparating to the shop with a distinct _pop_.

“I’m _so_ sorry,” he panted as he stumbled slightly through the back door, shoving his wand through his bun, where it sat solidly, “my alarm didn’t go off and I only woke up like, 5 minutes ago and…” his voice trailed off when he realised there was no one in the back room, but voices and laughter echoed from the shop. He shrugged as he moved into the shop before freezing at the sight in front of him.

There was Louis, gorgeous smiling Louis, in a black suit and white shirt, the first couple of buttons undone that hinted at a _tattoo_ underneath inked onto his collarbones and – _oh no._ He was almost completely surrounded by Harry’s friends.

“Harry!” Nick called with a smug grin and a wave, “nice of you to join us!”

Louis’ head turned to face Harry completely, and his smile softened before his eyes seemed to go dark, his gaze running down Harry’s entire body and back up again. Harry felt hot, too hot, and suddenly his dream crashed back into focus, and he supressed a whimper. He wasn’t sure he was successful though when Louis’ fingers seemed to twitch, and he took a sharp breath in.

“I – my phone died and my alarm didn’t – didn’t go off,” he breathed out, his voice soft and dreamy as his eyes never strayed from Louis’, “I’m so sorry, this never happens.” He quickly looked at Ed when he heard a distinct cough and saw his friend attempting to hide a grin in his hands.

“It’s fine mate, really,” Ed responded kindly, “I was just about to give Louis a hand but now that you’re here, I’ll let you take over.” Harry noticed Louis’ posture seemed to relax slightly at that, and he looked across at him again to see him studying Harry curiously.

“Thanks, Ed. I can help Louis,” Harry managed to get out before he swung around to look at Mitch, Nick, and Sarah, “and what are you all doing? I’m sure there’s no need for all of you to be out here. Nick, do you ever even work?” he sighed as he moved closer to the group, “honestly, I should just let Adam work downstairs on his own and give him a raise.”

Nick let out a distressed gasp as he strutted towards the back room, “I’ll remember this, Styles. You can repot those bulbs on your own!” He announced dramatically before shutting the door behind him, causing Mitch and Sarah to laugh as they followed him through after waving a good bye to Louis. Harry’s heart swelled when he saw Louis wave back happily, a wide smile on his face.

“I’ll just be a moment, Louis,” Harry said as he moved to follow Ed through to the back, “I just have to speak to Ed for a moment.”

Louis’ smiled hadn’t dimmed and his eyes crinkled as he shooed Harry towards the door. “No stress at all, Bambi. I’ll be here.” His eyes sparkled slightly under the shop lights as he turned away to wander amongst the flowers.

The second Harry was in the back room, he rounded on his friends. “Are you all serious? Why are you like this?” he whined, throwing himself back against the door slightly.

They all seemed to giggle somehow before Sarah spoke, “I’m sorry Harry, but you weren’t here! Someone had to serve him!” She looked like she was about to burst at the seams from smiling so widely before Mitch chimed in.

“He was just wandering around, looking like a lost little lamb without you,” he added, sending them all into another gleeful fit of laughter.

Ed stood behind the work bench and started working on the dahlias from the cool room before he spoke. “In all seriousness, mate. He seems really great,” he looked up to meet Harry’s eyes across the room and Harry smiled at him thankfully.

“He is, isn’t he?” he breathed out, standing up straight and fixing his shirt before he turned to open the door. Suddenly, he found himself stopping and turning back to face his friends. “How did you know it was him? You’re not even all supposed to be here yet!”

Nick scoffed so loudly that Harry thought maybe Louis could actually hear him before answering, “He was literally exactly as you described, Styles. We would’ve been stupid to miss it.” Harry blushed and nodded as he opened the door, pausing again when Nick’s voice picked up, “besides,” he turned to look Nick in the eye, but he was smirking down at his nails as he examined them, “the time was almost the same on both receipts. Of course we came in early.”

Harry’s face burned as he rushed out the door, closing it on his friend’s laughter as he took a deep breath before looking up at Louis. He thought he’d be prepared. He was wrong.

Louis hadn’t noticed him yet, so Harry allowed himself to look for a moment. His fringe was swept softly across his forehead and his fingers were gentle as they brushed against the petals of the pale pink dahlias. He was a stunning sight, standing in the middle of the shop surrounded by flowers and greenery, the asparagus fern vine hanging from the roof behind him creating the perfect backdrop. The suit he was wearing was tailored perfectly to accentuate his waist and Harry was suddenly very aware that he hadn’t had time to get off this morning. He cleared his throat to distract himself slightly and his heart stopped when Louis swung around on his heels to look at him.

“Hi, Harry,” Louis said softly as he moved forward as Harry seemed unable to stop himself from doing the same.

“Hi, Louis,” Harry grinned as his voice dropped accidentally, “were you thinking of using the dahlias today?”

Louis seemed slightly dazed as he moved even closer, and Harry couldn’t help but feel smug until Louis was reaching forward to boldly tuck a wayward curl behind Harry’s ear, his fingertips grazing gently along his ear and neck. Harry couldn’t suppress the small gasp that escaped his lips as Louis’ eyes widened, his hand running along Harry’s shoulder and down his arm before letting go after a quick squeeze of his wrist.

Harry hadn’t realised he’d leaned in slightly as Louis stared up at him, desire written plainly on his face and Harry knew it was reflected on his own. As Louis reached up to Harry’s hair again, Harry stood completely still as he seemed to suddenly remember where he was. Just as he went to regretfully pull back from Louis’ touch, the other man’s hand moved as quick as lightning and Harry felt a slight tugging sensation. He realised too late what was happening and could do nothing but stand with a shocked look on his face as Louis’ hand pulled back from his hair with his wand caught between his fingers.

“Been foraging in the forest, Bambi?” Louis grinned as Harry’s heart thudded painfully in his chest, both from the nickname and the fear caused by the fact that _Louis_ was holding his _wand_ , “what’s this wood, anyway?” Louis mused as he seemed oblivious to Harry’s rising panic.

Harry laughed, the sound slightly hysterical, and Louis looked up at him with concerned eyes, “Oh, I didn’t even realise that was there,” he quickly reached out and snatched his wand back before shoving it into his jeans pocket, “it’s uh – it’s holly, I’m pretty sure.” He reached up to push the small amount of loose curls off his face nervously before grinning down at Louis, although he’s sure it looked like a grimace.

Louis raised his eyebrows but seemed placated as he responded, “Okay then!” he moved back towards the dahlias before reaching out to touch them softly, and Harry knew the look on his face was fond as his heart finally slowed back down, “I’d love if you could use these today, if that’s okay,” he looked up at Harry through his lashes, his bottom lip caught lightly between his teeth, and Harry choked slightly at the image that his mind conjured up. He tried to push down the image of Louis on his knees, looking up at Harry with his mouth stretched wide – Harry breathed out slowly, ignoring Louis’ small smirk at his obvious reaction.

“I – yes, of – of course I can,” Harry stuttered out as he reached out to grab them, almost dropping them in his haste to speed back to the counter to put them down, “I’ll just – I’m going to put these down and grab some more stuff,” he winced at how inarticulate he was being, and almost tripped over as he wandered back to where Louis was. Luckily, Louis was there to catch him.

Louis’ hands gripped onto his waist to stop him from tumbling to the ground with such a strong grip that Harry groaned slightly, his hands flying up to catch onto Louis’ shoulders. When Harry had finally righted himself, he realised he was close ( _too_ close) to Louis again, their noses almost brushing. Harry’s hand slid up to rest on Louis’ neck before he could stop himself, and he could feel his pulse hammering beneath his thumb.

“Harry, I – ” Louis sighed out as his fingers gripped tighter onto Harry’s waist, and his thumbs rubbed small circles, “I was wondering if – ”

“Yeah,” Harry murmured, his thumb stroking over the delicate skin of Louis’ throat, “yeah, Louis anything, I – ”

A loud crack caused them both to jump back and Harry spun around with his hand over his heart to see Niall standing in the doorway to the back room with the biggest grin Harry had ever seen on his face. He flushed a deep red, a different kind of heat now beginning to spread up his neck to settle on his cheeks, and the reality of what he’d been doing in his own shop, in _public_ , with someone he hardly knew, started to settle in. He took another quick step back before turning to grab some more flowers to take to the counter. When he chanced a glance up at Louis, he felt a sense of hollow satisfaction to see that even though it appeared that he’d turned back to examine the flowers, his eyes were closed, and his chest was rising and falling quickly.

“Harry,” he could hear the smug grin in Niall’s voice without even looking at him, “I thought I’d come and say hello, I didn’t realise you had someone in. Sorry, mate!” Niall stepped out behind the counter, waving at Louis as he shot a sly smile at Harry.

Louis spun around completely, and Harry almost dropped the bouquet he was making as he took him in; pink cheeks, wide eyes, and parted lips. Harry was a second away from dropping everything to go over to him, but then Louis was walking forward, smiling politely at Niall and extending a hand as he spoke.

“Hey, mate. ‘m Louis.”

“Nice ta meet you, Louis! I’ve heard a lot about you,” Niall replied, grinning between the two of them, shaking Louis’ hand as Harry let out a small squeak that he tried to disguise as a cough, “tell ya what, this one hasn’t stopped talking about you since you started coming in,” Niall continued, elbowing Harry in the side, jostling him as he hissed out a ‘ _Niall’_ and kept his eyes down.

Harry could hear the amusement in Louis’ voice when he answered. “Oh is that right? All good things, I hope.” Harry’s eyes flicked up and when he noticed Louis smiling softly at him, he couldn’t contain the grin on his face as he went back to his work.

“Obviously! I guess it’s just lucky I came in now, hey?”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” Louis said, his eyes sparkling, looking as though he knew exactly what had happened, “Sorry lad, I didn’t get your name. Do you work here with Harry?”

Niall let out a loud laugh, startling Harry into almost dropping the bouquet again as he shot him a glare, but using the distraction to slip his wand out of his pocket and whisper a quick spell with his wand aimed at Louis’ bouquet. “Nah, my creative talents are a bit different! I’m Niall, I own the shop next door.”

Louis’ face seemed to light up. “Oh yeah? I think I saw you leaving there last week, actually. What kind of shop is it? I couldn’t tell from the street.”

“Ah, it’s a tattoo parlour! I’ve always wanted to have me own, and when the shop next door became available I had to take it,” he reached a hand out and played with Harry’s bun, causing him to huff as he wrapped the blooms, “I had to wait for a couple of licences to come through, but I’m not far from opening up now.”

“That’s great, mate!” Harry could see how genuinely excited Louis looked and his eyes flicked down to the ghost of the tattoo on Louis’ collarbone, desire flickering low in his stomach, “do you have many?”

Harry scoffed as he tied a white ribbon around the stems, laying in on the counter gently before he took it upon himself to answer. “He doesn’t have any, actually. He hates pain too much to even think about it.” Harry rolled his eyes fondly as Niall reached forward to flick his ear gently, and Louis watched on with a slightly confused look on his face, watching as Harry wrapped his arm around Niall’s shoulders and pulled him into his side, kissing the top of his head with a smile.

“Oi, get off me Styles!” Niall squirmed away as Harry laughed, “I don’t know mate, I love being a tattoo artist, but I don’t think I’d ever want one.” His chest puffed out slightly as he continued proudly. “Bit of a contradiction, I am.”

Louis laughed, but it didn’t seem genuine and the smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes; suddenly Harry felt slightly cold. Did he hate the flowers? Did he hate Niall? No-one hated Niall. Did he regret everything that had happened earlier? As Harry seemed to spiral down further, he was jolted out of his thoughts by Niall’s voice.

“ – so definitely come in when I’m all set up, Louis. I’d love to see the other tattoos you’ve got!” Niall waved good bye and just like that, he disappeared into the back room, and Harry was left staring at Louis as Louis avoided his eyes, silence falling over them and settling into the stillness of the room.

“Oh!” They both jumped as Niall stuck his head back through the door. “Two things! We’re going out this weekend and I think you should come, give ya number to H or something,” Louis looked about ready to interrupt, the refusal clear on his face, before Niall spoke again, “and Louis? Harry and I? We’re just friends, mate.” With that closing comment and a quick wink, he ducked out the door and was gone again.

Harry stared at the closed door with a gobsmacked expression on his face before turning quickly back to Louis. “I’m _so_ sorry Louis, obviously you don’t have to – ” he cut himself off when he saw the guilty grin on Louis’ face.

“Bambi,” Harry’s lips tugged into an involuntary smile, “if I wouldn’t be intruding, I’d love to come along this weekend.” He reached out to tug gently on one of the curls that had escaped Harry’s bun, and Harry almost went cross eyed trying to follow the movement. “I just didn’t want to tag along if I’d be, you know,” Louis sighed before tucking the hair behind Harry’s ear, his thumb soothing over where Niall had flicked, “a third wheel,” he finished quietly.

Harry’s heart leapt into his throat as he stumbled over his words to respond. “I – you wouldn’t been a third wheel, it’s – it’s not just me and Niall, anyway,” Louis quirked an eyebrow at him and Harry rushed to finish, “not that you’d be third wheeling anyway! I mean, Mitch and Sarah are together but – I’m not,” he took a deep breath to calm himself before looking Louis directly in the eye, “I’m single. If – if that means anything, I don’t – ”

“Harry,” Louis chuckled softly, “it does. Mean something. Can I have your phone? We’ll exchange numbers and you can text me the details.”

Harry silently handed Louis his phone before taking Louis’ from him, quickly entering his details under ‘Bambi’ with a deer and a bouquet emoji before he could second guess himself. When they swapped their phones back, Harry giggled before meeting Louis’ grin over the counter; Louis had put his contact in as ‘Sunshine’ and included the sun and sunflower emoji. Harry clutched his phone to his chest.

“You know, I feel a bit weird exchanging numbers when I know nothing about you,” Harry mused as he put his phone down to lean slightly forward over the counter.

Louis grinned at him before mirroring his actions on the opposite side, his arms crossed on the counter as he leant forward. “Well, what would you like to know Bambi?”

Harry’s mind was suddenly filled with questions he was desperate to know the answers to; _do you like tea or coffee? Would you cry with me during that Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson scene in Love Actually? Would you come easily if I reached across the counter to pull you in? If I sat you on my counter and kissed you, would you pull me closer by my hair or my shirt?_

“Where do you work?” There. That was a suitable question. Harry mentally patted himself on the back.

“I’m a book editor, just down the street,” Louis smiled at him as he answered easily, “I edit mostly young adult fantasy books. I’m working on a magic series at the moment; it’s one of my favourites.” Louis seemed to straighten up slightly to check his watch. “Oh fu- I’m sorry Harry but speaking of work, I really do need to go,” Louis’ face was so apologetic that Harry’s heart melted a little bit.

“I’m sorry for keeping you longer than I should’ve,” Harry responded, taking Louis’ card from him and revelling in the shock of energy that shot through him again at the contact of their fingers, “how many siblings do you have?”

“Six,” Louis answered quickly, laughing at the look of shock on Harry’s face as he slipped his wallet back into his pocket, “is that all you’ve got?” he teased.

“How’s the plant going?” Harry shot back with a grin, and Louis’ face lit up again at the question.

“It hasn’t died yet,” he announced proudly, taking the bouquet from Harry’s hands with a word of thanks, “I’ll send you a photo when I get home, I can’t believe it’s still alive. I forgot to water it for like, four days!” Louis laughed as Harry chuckled nervously, playing with the rings on his fingers.

“I’m glad, Sunshine,” Harry said softly, a thrill running down his spine at the flush that coloured Louis’ face at the nickname.

“I really should be going,” Louis whispered, but he didn’t make any move towards the door, and Harry almost cried when the door opened and a new customer came in. Louis’ face fell, but he walked towards the door. “I’ll text you, okay? I’ll see you this weekend.” Louis smiled briefly at Harry before opening the door to leave.

“Wait, Louis!” Harry called out before he could stop himself.

He paused in his steps before turning around, shifting the bouquet to the other arm. “Yeah?”

“Coffee or tea?”

Louis beamed back at him, and Harry was struck by the feeling that Sunshine really was the perfect nickname for him.

“Tea, Harry. Always tea.” And with a sly wink and quick wave, he was gone.

Harry stared at the closed door for so long that he was startled when the customer who’d come in spoke.

“Harry dear, are you okay?” Harry relaxed when he realised it was one of his regulars, an elderly lady who came in every week to buy flowers for her lounge room. He shook his head slightly and smiled at her.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Morris. What can I do for you today?”

“Well for starters, you can tell me all about that gorgeous young man who has you so distracted this morning.”

Harry groaned, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter as he put his head in his hands to try to block out the sound of her giggling.

He looked back up at her with a grin. “How much time do you have?”

******

Harry was just putting on his boots when there was a loud knock at the door. He stood up, dusting off the black skinny jeans he was wearing and making sure the patterned short sleeve shirt he was wearing wasn’t wrinkled. He’d left it unbuttoned halfway down his chest and left his hair out, but if Niall asked, it definitely wasn’t because he remembered the way that Louis had looked at him when he last had his hair down around him.

Just as he grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone, his front door swung open and Nick’s voice rang out through his flat.

“For Merlin’s sake Styles, why are you even wearing a shirt?”

Harry flipped him off over his shoulder as he made sure all of the lights were off, grinning at the family photo hanging in his entrance way as they all waved at him, beaming at him from the frame as he blew them a kiss. He stepped out the front door, hugging Niall briefly before shoving Nick gently, quickly wrapping an arm around his waist to pull him back into his side and squeeze.

“I can’t go to the pub half _naked_ , Nicholas. Have some respect,” Harry answered haughtily, laughing as Nick snorted at him.

“Oh okay, and I’m sure it has nothing to do with a young, blue eyed editor that might be meeting us there?”

“I refuse to answer that,” Harry shot back as Nick and Niall laughed, walking down the stairs to the apparition point behind his building, “Well, I’ll see you in a minute!” he added, before disapparating quickly.

When he regained his bearings, he was hidden in darkness just around the corner from the muggle pub they’d chosen. He stepped out into the alleyway just as Nick and Niall came tumbling into each other in the space, Niall almost smacking into the side of a building.

“Fookin’ hell, Grimshaw,” he whined as Harry watched from where he was smirking, leaning against the cool brick, “I swear, you’re a nightmare most of the time. Maybe Louis’ friend will keep you distracted enough. Louis said he’s hot, right H?”

Harry walked around the corner, Niall and Nick trailing behind as Nick inspected his outfit for dirt. Harry and Louis had texted every day from Wednesday until now, everything from anecdotes about their days through to memes and funny gifs they’d found online, and Harry had found himself liking Louis more and more with every text message. He’d been driving everyone at the shop crazy with his constant talk about Louis until Nick had finally snapped and told him ‘If you don’t get fucked this weekend, Styles, don’t even _think_ of coming in on Monday’.

“Yeah, apparently Liam’s pretty attractive,” Harry replied, burning slightly with jealousy at the thought, “but I don’t think you’re his type, Nick.”

Nick pretended to flip his hair as they got to the front door of The End of The Day, causing Niall to snort with laughter. “Please. I’m everyone’s type.”

Harry rolled his eyes as they slipped inside, waving to the bartender as Niall sped over to the bar to grab them all drinks. Harry looked around quickly, knowing the others were already here sat in a large booth. He grinned when he made eye contact with Mitch, who has frantically waving his arms in the air, causing Sarah to laugh at him while trying to tug his arms down and Ed and Adam to smile into their drinks at the spectacle. Just as Harry reached the booth, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

He went to slide into the booth after Nick and Niall, greeting everyone with an enthusiastic hello before reaching into his pocket to read the text from Louis.

8:23pm

_You know, you could’ve warned me, Curly_

Harry stared down at his phone in confusion, leaning back to sit slightly on the edge of the table with his legs in front of him.

8:24pm

**What do you mean?**

8:24pm

_Fucking hell, love. Those legs – are you trying to kill me?_

Harry’s eyes shot up, roaming quickly around the room and running nervous fingers through his hair. Finally, his eyes locked with Louis’ across the room where him and a broad, attractive man were standing. As Harry’s eyes broke the contact to travel the length of Louis’ body, he realised he couldn’t even remember Louis’ friend’s name let alone anything else. He swallowed harshly as they started to make their way towards Harry and his friends, and Harry almost swallowed his own tongue.

Louis was wearing black Vans with black skinny jeans that rivalled Harry’s, and he knew he’d _die_ if Louis turned around at any point during the night. The shirt he was wearing had no sleeves, and the arms were cut low enough to show an expanse of warm, tan skin that Harry wanted desperately to cover with his tongue, and – _oh_. The shirt was slightly see through, and it was then that Harry realised Louis had _so many_ tattoos, and his mouth dried up as he took them all in.

It was the first time he’d seen Louis wearing anything other than his work clothes, and he was suddenly half hard in his pants, cursing quietly just as Louis reached him.

“Hi, Bambi,” Louis said breathlessly, and up this close Harry could see the want written all over Louis’ face as his eyes flicked down Harry’s body. Harry rushed to stand up straight, almost knocking over Nick’s drink on the table behind him, causing Louis to laugh softly.

Harry rushed out a quick apology to Nick without even turning around before directing all his attention back to the stunning man in front of him. “Hi, Sunshine,” Harry replied just as softly, not wanting to break the seemingly fragile moment around them even as music played and Harry could hear Niall introducing himself to Louis’ friend. He reached out before he thought it through properly to pull Louis into a hug. He stiffened as Louis’ body made contact with his, the now all familiar electric shock travelling through his blood, but as soon as he felt Louis sigh and settle into his embrace, he tightened his arms around his shoulders and turned his head slightly to rest his cheek against the top of Louis’ hair.

Louis’ hands travelled up Harry’s back to spread wide against his shoulder blades before he pulled back slightly, his hands sliding back down to rest against Harry’s sides as he tilted his head up to look at him. “You look,” Louis paused, huffing out a laugh as his fingers dug into Harry’s waist, “I don’t even know. Incredible.” Harry could feel himself blushing as he grinned.

“Thank you,” he said, his tone slightly bashful as he pulled Louis back a little harder against him. He knew he shouldn’t, that their friends were sitting right there, but his body refused to cooperate. “You look amazing.”

Louis smiled back up at him before Niall suddenly broke the spell they’d weaved around themselves. “Oi! You can do that later! Harry, stop being rude and come meet Liam.”

 _Liam,_ Harry’s brain finally supplied and when he regretfully pulled back from Louis with a sheepish grin, he realised that Liam had slid in next to Niall, leaving the other side open for Harry and Louis to slide in next to Nick.

“Sorry, mate,” Harry apologised, extending his hand to Liam as he moved to sit down, “I’m Harry, it’s great to meet you.”

Liam’s eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled back, his eyes warm, and Harry was instantly put at ease. “No harm done, honestly. I’m Liam, and it’s great to finally meet you instead of just having to hear my best friend talk about you _const-_ ”

“Alright Payno,” Louis announced loudly as Niall cracked up, “that’s enough out of you. I’m going to get a drink, I’ll grab you one.” He started to walk towards the bar, but not before throwing a withering look over his shoulder at Liam, who just shrugged innocently back at him. Harry, however, couldn’t tear his eyes away from Louis’ arse as he walked away. He was so curvy, so fucking gorgeous that Harry’s hand curled up on his own thighs. He also had muscles on his arms that made Harry want to test how strong he was, see if he could hold him up against a wall maybe -

“You’ve had to put up with it too, ay?” Niall turned back to Liam as Nick joined in the conversation from across the booth, “he’s been pining like an _idiot_ , I swear.” Liam laughed as Nick nodded along to Niall’s words.

“I swear mate, he’s been bloody ridiculous,” Nick added as he took a sip of his drink.

Liam nodded enthusiastically. “Tell me about it! Tommo never gets like this. It was nice to start with, but I could probably tell you everything about Harry by now.”

“I can hear you, you know,” Harry mumbled as he watched Louis trek back to their table, flicking his head to get his fringe out of his eyes. Harry’s fingers itched to do it for him.

“We know,” Nick said matter-of-factly, “we want you to overhear.”

Niall and Liam were laughing when Louis came back, sliding a beer over to Liam and sliding in next to Harry, his warm thigh pressing against Harry’s under the table. “What are we talking about?” Niall opened his mouth to answer, but Harry swiftly cut him off.

“Nothing important!”

Louis eyed them curiously but settled down into his seat before addressing Liam.

“So Li, see anyone you like?” he grinned across the table, and Harry watched on amused as Liam almost choked on his drink.

“We’ve been here all of 10 minutes,” Liam said, aiming a kick at Louis under the table, “you know that’s not how I am usually anyway.” Niall stole Liam’s attention for a moment, giving Harry the opportunity to knock his knee against Louis’ under the table to get his attention.

“Liam isn’t one for one-night stands?” he asked, his arm reaching up to rest against the back of the booth behind Louis’ head. Judging by the look on Louis’ face, he knew he hadn’t been subtle, but he couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.

“Nah, he’s always been more of a relationship guy. I am too, if I’m honest,” his gaze held Harry’s intently, and when Harry nodded to agree, he seemed to relax slightly back against Harry’s arm. Harry smiled to himself and let his fingers lightly graze Louis’ shoulder, his skin warm under his fingertips.

“- he sounds like your type, let’s be honest! We went to school together, he’s amazing,” Harry tuned in just in time to hear Niall say to Liam, “I’ll send him an owl, see if he can hang out soon.”

Harry panicked, swiftly kicking Niall under the table – “ _Ow!”_ – but Louis had heard and stared at them both with a confused look on his face. Harry quickly got up before he could ask, raising his hand. “So! Who needs another drink?”

***

Two hours, several drinks, light touches, wandering eyes, and brilliant conversation had led Harry to where he was now – in the middle of the dancefloor with Louis’ back pressed against his front, his hands settled on Louis’ waist. He ignored the looks that their friends were giving them as they danced together across the floor and closed his eyes.

Louis threw his head back to rest it against Harry’s shoulders as his hips moved perfectly to the beat, his arse grinding subtly back into where Harry was half hard and the fingers of one hand reached up to link with Harry’s over his stomach. Harry groaned, squeezing gently and then nosing at the skin behind Louis’ ear before pulling him back firmer against his chest.

He couldn’t even remember what had led them here. He had vague recollections of Louis teasing him at the table that he didn’t think that Harry could dance, that he’d probably just fall in a tangle of limbs on the dance floor. Harry had taken it for the challenge it was intended to be, and when Louis had trailed his fingers down Harry’s arm, turning his body towards him where they sat, and moved so close to him their noses were touching, Harry couldn’t even imagine refusing his offer of ‘well, prove it to me. Dance with me.’

“Louis,” he managed to get out as Louis’ hips circled smoothly against his, “fuck, _Lou_.” His palm slid slowly up Louis’ stomach and chest, bunching the material of his shirt slightly so he could touch the warm skin underneath.

The other man exhaled on a shaky breath before spinning around to face him, Harry’s hands coming to rest at the dip of Louis’ spine, Louis’ hands gripping onto the open sides of Harry’s shirt. Harry stepped closer, crowding into Louis’ space as he slid his thigh between his legs. His fingers dug harshly into the small of Louis’ back when he felt how hard he was, and that combined with the alcohol caused his head to spin.

Just as Harry pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Louis’ neck, tasting salt and something undeniably sweet, he felt him start to pull away. He missed the warmth immediately before Louis’ hand was wrapped tightly around his wrist.

“Haz, I – we need some fresh air, I think,” Louis breathed out, before linking their fingers and quickly pulling him off the dance floor and towards the door.

Harry blinked at the change of pace, stumbling after him until they were in the alley way he’d apparated in earlier. Louis threw himself back against the wall in what looked like a painful motion before tugging Harry to stand in front of him. Harry couldn’t stop the thoughts running through his head - a constant stream of Louis’ name while his subconscious screamed at him to close the small gap and kiss him.

Harry stepped in between Louis’ legs as he spread them slightly, the hand not holding Louis’ slapping onto the bricks beside his head with a small noise. Louis’ eyes widened as he broke the silence between them.

“Harry,” he dropped Harry’s hand, moving both of his up to cup his face as his eyes flickered down to dart between his eyes and his lips, and Harry heard him groan slightly as he pressed Louis’ body further into the wall and licked his lips.

“Louis,” he whispered back, his tone slightly teasing and hiding the nerves he was feeling when his now free hand reached up to - _finally_ \- gently brush Louis’ fringe out of eyes.

He gently traced over Louis’ cheekbone before settling his hand at the nape of his neck, tangling his fingers in the soft hair he found there before gasping slightly at the image Louis made. Though he already knew Louis was gorgeous, right now he looked breath-taking and Harry had to take a deep breath to calm himself.

Louis’ eyes were closed, his head tilted back slightly as Harry rubbed his thumb gently along the hinge of his jaw. His cheeks were flushed and when he opened his eyes to look up at Harry, his pupils dilated and glinting in the street light, Harry couldn’t take it anymore.

He moved his fingers to gently tip Louis’ chin up more, before moving in to brush their lips together. He felt Louis exhale against his mouth, and just as Harry moved his hand from the wall to wrap his arm around Louis’ waist, angling his head to kiss him deeper, Louis pulled back with a groan and leaned his forehead forward to rest on Harry’s shoulder.

Harry’s heart sank to the pit of his stomach; he couldn’t believe he’d somehow, _stupidly_ , read it all wrong. He tried to step back and disentangle himself from Louis when gentle hands shot down to his waist to hold him tightly in place. Harry craned his neck further to look down at Louis in confusion.

“Louis?” When there was no response apart from a shaky breath, he went to move back again, but Louis’ tight grip on his shirt held fast. “Louis, are you okay? I’m so sorry if I - ”

Suddenly Louis’ head shot up, his expression softening as his hand flew up to run gently through Harry’s curls. He looked slightly scared, but undeniably fond, and Harry’s heart seemed to settle back in his chest.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, love. You have no idea how much I want to kiss you,” he said, giggling when Harry’s eyebrows shot up to look at him in disbelief with a small smile on his face. He brushed Harry’s hair behind his ear - obviously one of his favourite things to do now - and Harry nuzzled happily unto Louis’ palm when it came to rest over his cheek again. Louis smiled softly at him before he explained. “I just really like you, and like I said before, I don’t do one-night stands. I want to take you on a date, if you’ll have me.”

Harry stared at Louis before grinning and wrapping his arms around his waist to hold him against his chest, causing Louis to fall forward slightly with a laugh. “I’d absolutely love to,” he murmured, brushing his nose against Louis’ as they grinned at each other. “Although,” he drawled out as he settled back slightly, still keeping his hands on Louis’ waist as his hands settled around Harry’s neck, “I don’t know why that means I can’t kiss you now.”

That seemed to shock a laugh out of Louis, and Harry pouted as Louis pulled back to slap him gently on the shoulder. “I don’t kiss just anyone, Bambi,” he shot back in a haughty tone before grinning and settling back into the circle of Harry’s arms. Harry tightened his arms around Louis’ as he pressed a soft kiss to Harry’s cheek. Harry felt his cheek tingling at the contact. “But you’re very quickly becoming someone exceptional.”

When the rest of their group found them 10 minutes later as they all stumbled out of the bar, they were still wrapped up each other, and Harry couldn’t remember a time he’d ever felt so happy.

Of course, it was all shattered when Niall wolf whistled, and Nick gagged, pretending to throw up while Liam and Sarah giggled in the background. Harry groaned as he pulled away from Louis but kept an arm around his shoulders, turning to walk towards the group. He felt Louis run a shy hand along his back before settling to grip at his waist and nuzzle slightly into his side. Harry couldn’t help but grin when he looked up to see Ed flash him a quick wink.

“Alright, alright, you annoying tossers,” Adam announced as he stumbled slightly into Mitch, who rolled his eyes at Harry as he smiled, “how’s everyone getting home?”

After a quick discussion, and realising that Louis lived not far from Liam and they were going to get an Uber home, Harry suddenly found himself in the awful situation of having to say goodbye to Louis. He cautiously turned towards him, his arms falling slightly to wrap around Louis’ waist as he bit nervously at his lip, his eyes darting around the street. Louis raised his eyebrows at Harry curiously before understanding dawned on his face, and he was beaming up at him and raising one hand to cup his cheek.

“Getting shy on me now, Bambi?” Louis asked, the slight tension in his eyes betraying the teasing tone.

Harry’s squeezed his hips in hands, chuckling slightly. “Around you? Always.”

Louis’ eyes softened before he raised himself slightly up onto his tiptoes, causing Harry’s stomach to erupt in affectionate butterflies, and gently pressed his lips to Harry’s cheek again. Harry could feel his magic pulse through him, and Louis jolted back slightly to press his fingers to his lips.

“I’ll see you soon, love. I promise,” Louis said earnestly, and before he could second guess himself, Harry was reaching out to gently knock his hand aside, running his thumb along Louis’ bottom lip. When Louis looked up at him with parted lips and a flush to his cheeks, Harry groaned slightly and stepped back.

“Soon, Lou.”

Liam called out to Louis, grabbing his attention to get into the Uber, and he was dashing off with one last grin in Harry’s direction, waving to everyone as he climbed in the car. As he watched the car drive down the street, Liam and Louis waving wildly out the back window, Harry let out a loud laugh, his smile only growing as he pumped his fist in the air before diving at Niall to hug him.

“ _Argh_ , let me go, H!” Niall yelled, but Harry could hear the laughter in his voice as he lifted him slightly to spin him around, “I know you finally got to kiss Louis, but f’fucks sake, mate.”

“Probably just happy he doesn’t have to work on Monday,” Nick interrupted with a snort.

“What are you talk- ” Harry was interrupted by Niall’s whispered _‘Can I stay at yours tonight?’_ before he continued, “talking – yes, Niall you can – about? Why wouldn’t I be coming in on Monday?”

“I told you if you didn’t get laid that you weren’t allowed to come in on Monday.”

“…I’ll fucking fire you, Grimshaw, I swear to Merlin.”

*******

Harry was sitting at the island in his kitchen, his hands wrapped around a mug of steaming coffee as he stared at the picture open on his phone where it saw in front of him on the bench.

Louis had sent him a picture of the moonflower plant late last night, along with a quick but heart-warming message explaining that he couldn’t believe that not only had the plant not died, but it had _grown_ , and that he couldn’t wait to take Harry out. Harry had been too tired last night to look at the picture properly, simply sending a brief agreement and bizarre string of emojis back before passing out, but looking at it now, he didn’t know how he’d missed it.

The plant, which seemed to be on the floor in the photo for some reason, had grown at least two inches. Harry could see the start of the buds forming for the blooms, and he hadn’t been able to tear his worried eyes away from the picture.

When Niall finally emerged with a groan and squinting eyes, Harry had wordlessly handed him a hangover potion without looking at him, and it had taken him almost a full 10 seconds before he realised Niall was trying to get his attention. He shook his head before smiling tentatively up at him.

“Sorry Ni, what’s going on?”

Niall stared at him intently before grabbing Harry’s phone and twisting it to face him where he was leaning, standing opposite Harry on the other side of the island. “Oh! It’s the plant you gave to Louis,” he cooed at the picture, and Harry couldn’t fight the wry smile making its way onto his face, “is that what’s got you all weird this early in the morning? The spell you put on it is working?”

Harry groaned before stealing his phone back, locking it so he wasn’t tempted to stare anymore. “It’s not just that the spell is working, Niall, it’s working too _well!_ ” Harry threw his hands up as Niall seemed to begin to understand, “nothing we did in the shop worked, nothing, but the second I give it to Louis and cast the same spells, it starts to grow? It’s growing _way_ too quickly, I don’t understand.” Harry whined as his forehead hit the surface beneath him with a loud noise. He could see Niall opening his mouth to interject, but he couldn’t seem to stop the words from flowing. “I said yes to a date, and I like him _so much,_ but I’ve never even _tried_ dating a muggle before! What if I ruin everything, or he figures it out and gets mad, or I’m never allowed to tell him, or – ” Niall’s hands suddenly clamped down on his shoulders, and Harry cut himself off just as he was starting to get slightly hysterical.

“Harry. Wizards and witches date muggles all the time,” Niall reassured him with a soothing tone, and Harry felt himself start to relax slightly, “like my parents! If you’re so stressed about it mate, you should talk to ‘em. I think it’d help, yeah?” Harry nodded at Niall, already feeling a bit embarrassed about his Sunday morning freak out. “Also, Louis fuckin’ useless with plants – honestly, he won’t even notice. You should’ve heard him talking shite at the bar the other night; it’s like he’s never seen a flower until now. Honestly mate, if you knew how little he knew, you’d probably be horrified,” Niall teased, rolling his shoulders back as Harry rolled his eyes, “now that I’ve saved the day though, I think you should cook me breakfast,” he finished with a decisive nod.

Harry rolled his eyes but smacked a quick kiss to the top of Niall’s head in thanks as he wandered into the kitchen. As he flicked his wand to turn the stove top on with a muttered _Incendio_ , Harry’s mind drifted to the way Louis had felt against him, how it had felt to finally have him in his arms, and when Niall called out to him for another five solid seconds with no response, he figured he deserved the stream of water to the face that Niall sent him from his wand.

Harry also figured it was worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	4. Seaholly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sibling teasings, first dates, and octopus

As his pencil scratched lightly across the paper, adding in a comma and crossing out a semicolon, Louis’ eyes struggled to stay open. He’d never been a morning person, especially not a _Monday_ morning person, but he was finding it more difficult to concentrate than usual. It could’ve been because he’d tossed and turned so much last night that he’d woken up almost every hour, or it could’ve been the fact that he’d only had one cup of tea so far today.

It also could’ve been the fact that he’d been up until almost midnight texting back and forth with Harry about Love Actually as he’d watched it in bed. If he’d teared up slightly at the scene when Emma Thompson found out Alan Rickman was cheating on her; well, that was just for him to know, although Harry certainly didn’t seem the type of person to care about something like that.

He pushed his glasses higher up his nose from where they’d slid down slightly, sighing as he put his pencil down to push his sleeves up to his elbows. He kept reading though, unable to tear his eyes away from the captivating story as Petra, the young protagonist, used her wand to secure a piece of paper containing a coded message to an owl’s leg before it flew away. As Louis read over the section, something seemed to be trying to make sense in his brain, and all he could understand was that it had something to do with…owls? Maybe the scene was too similar to one from a previous title in the series? He closed his eyes, trying to grasp onto it, trying to remember the last time he’d seen an owl, thought about one, maybe talked about one, but it slipped away when the door creaked open and Bebe and Steve walked through.

He groaned in frustration at having his thought process interrupted, but it quickly turned into a noise of content as he realised she was holding his mug. She looked at him, seemingly unamused by his attitude that morning if the eye roll was anything to go by, but she still handed it to him before going to his own desk.

“Have I told you that I love you today? Because I do,” Louis moaned as he took a sip of his tea, “maybe more than I love this tea.”

Bebe snorted as she sat at her desk, and Louis watched as Steve leaned back against her desk to face him. “Fuck off, you do. There’s nothing you love more than tea.”

“Well. You’ve got me there.”

Steve chuckled before nodding his head in Louis’ direction. “How’s your process going?”

“Great!” Louis suddenly felt more awake, and he could hear the excitement in his own voice, “I knew I’d love it, but it’s still better than I thought it would be somehow.” Louis frowned slightly though before continuing. “It’s just – I don’t know what it is, but something feels like…I don’t know how to explain it.”

Steve looked at him curiously before responding. “Do you think there’s something wrong with the story?”

“No no no,” Louis cleared up quickly with a vicious shake of his head, leaning back with his hands crossed behind his head, “I think it’s something just with me, don’t worry.” Louis was saved from having to try and explain by the sound of his phone ringing. A quick glance at it showed it was Liam, and he shot an apologetic look at his co-workers and answered the call with a soft smile.

“Hey Li.”

_“Hey Lou, how are you?”_

“Yeah, good mate! What can I do for you?” Louis stretched his legs out in front of him, watching as Bebe and Steve conversed quietly.

_“Just wanted to see if you were free to catch up Saturday night.”_

Louis froze slightly, glancing up to see them still talking. He hoped it was enough of a distraction that they wouldn’t hear him, but he spun his chair around to face the wall and lowered his voice slightly anyway. “Ah, sorry but I’ve got my first date with Harry on Saturday,” he paused for a second before adding, “well actually, I’m not that sorry.” He grinned when he heard Liam’s happy laugh down the line.

_“I can’t imagine you are. Do you know where you’re taking him or what you’re doing?”_

“Not really, I’m thinking just kind of traditional first date; just dinner at a nice restaurant or somethin’,” Louis replied easily, although the way his palms got slightly sweaty showed his nerves, “I don’t know though. Is that stupid? I’m so excited mate, I just want it to be perfect.”

Louis could hear Liam scoff through the phone. _“Why would that be stupid? You called me the second you left the Lone Hydrangea that first day and told me you’d just met your future husband. Probably fair enough to want the first date to go well, Tommo.”_ Louis’ cheeks flushed, and he was Liam wasn’t there to tickle his stomach and tease him about it.

“Yeah, you’re right. Any ideas where we should go?”

_“I haven’t been on a date in months; as if I have any idea.”_

“Fat lot of good you are,” Louis muttered, before promising Liam he’d call him later in the week, hanging up, and turning back around to his desk.

He squealed when he came face to face with a smug looking Bebe and an amused looking Steve pressed right up against the front of his desk.

“For _fucks_ sake, what?” he snapped, but the colour still high on his cheeks gave him away.

“Did we hear you correctly? Did you say you have a date with Harry this weekend?” Bebe asked, the smug look still prevalent on her face. Louis groaned and buried his head in his hands, nothing but a muffled sound leaving his lips.

“Sorry, what was that?” Steve asked politely, but the wicked grin he now sported belayed the innocence in his tone.

Louis huffed loudly before pulling back. “Yes, I have a date with Harry,” he quickly pointed a finger at the both of them when they opened their mouths to respond, “and _no,_ I’m not telling you everything.”

“Oh c’mon, Tomlinson,” Bebe whined, her bottom lip pushed out into a pout, and Louis supressed an eye roll, “just give us _something_.”

Louis sighed, taking off his glasses to rub at his tired eyes before taking a large gulp of tea. “Fine. We went out to a pub with some friends on Saturday, we danced, we kind of kissed” – both Bebe and Steve made a noise at that, but Louis powered on – “and then I told him I’m not a one-night stand kind of person and I want to date him before anything happens.”

Steve’s mouth twitched up at the corners before he shared a look with Bebe that Louis couldn’t decipher, and then he was slapping his hands on his thighs and standing up. “Thank you for telling us, Louis,” he said, and his voice sounded so sincere that Louis somehow felt guilty, “I hope it goes well, mate. Honestly.” He waved a quick salute and was out the door before Louis could reply.

When Louis’ eyes flicked back to the front of his desk, Bebe was looking at with a warm expression on her face before getting up to go back to her desk. Louis was puzzled as he watched her go, and she laughed when she saw his expression.

“I know it’s hard for you to let people in, Louis,” she explained as she tapped away at her keyboard, “and I know how hard it can be for you to talk about personal things like this.” She shot him a quick smirk before continuing. “But Harry seems different. I like how it looks on you.”

Louis grinned back at her as he picked up his pencil again, reaching out to slide his glasses on when his computer chimed with an email. He was confused when he realised it was from Bebe, but when he snuck a glance at her, she was steadfastly ignoring his gaze. When he clicked on the link she’d sent him, he couldn’t help but blurt out his words.

“Japanese? Really?”

“He’ll love it, babe. It also wouldn’t kill you to branch out a little, you know,” she quirked an eyebrow at him as he threw a paper clip at her, watching as it sailed past and hit the window with a small _tink_.

Five minutes later, Louis had a reservation at a Japanese restaurant for Saturday night, and a happy feeling he couldn’t describe coursing through him.

******

Louis yawned as he shut the door to his flat and threw the keys down on the small hall table. He’d stayed at the office much later than he should’ve, but he’d been so set on editing a set number of chapters that he’d been compelled to stay behind to finish them.

As he grabbed a beer out of the fridge, he felt his phone vibrate and when he reached into his pocket to pull it out, he saw he had two messages; one from Harry, and another from Lottie. He opened the text from Harry first, leaning against the counter as he grinned, reading through Harry’s story of the little girl who had accidentally wandered into his shop that afternoon. His heart felt like it was too big for chest as Harry explained how he’d helped the girl make a small bouquet before her mother had burst in looking for her, and then had insisted she take it home free of charge because ‘ **everyone deserves flowers in their life, Louis.** ’

He closed his eyes and sighed, his mind drifting to Harry; how kind he was, how much he made Louis laugh, how he seemed to care about everything Louis said, how the dimples in his cheeks sank deeper when Louis smiled at him, and the way his hands had felt touching Louis on Saturday, so strong and so gentle at the same time. Louis was pulled out of his day dreaming when his phone buzzed repeatedly in his hand, and he quickly answered it when he realised Lottie was calling.

“Hey, Lots.”

_“When were you going to tell me that you have a boyfriend?”_

Louis spluttered on the mouthful of beer he’d just swigged, coughing as it went down the wrong way. He hit himself in the chest a couple of times as he continued to cough, and when he was finally able to breathe properly, his voice croaked down the line.

“Lottie, what the fuck? I don’t have a boyfriend, what are you bloody talking about?”

_“Lou was out Saturday night and apparently saw you, on the bloody street of all place, seriously Louis, wrapped around a tall, gorgeous man with supposedly beautiful curls as she walked past a pub.”_

Louis grumbled as he picked up his beer again. “Not ‘supposedly’ beautiful, definitely beautiful,” he mumbled into the phone. He quickly held it away as Lottie screeched in his ear, “For God’s sake Lottie, I don’t have a boyfriend! I have a date on Saturday, but that’s it so far. I like him, a lot, but it’s just a date.”

He heard Lottie scoff as he started to wander slowly into dining space. _“Tell me everything about him, Louis. We don’t keep secrets, especially not since – ”_ Louis couldn’t help the stab of emotional pain he felt as he winced, quickly sitting down, _“- well. Look, we just don’t keep secrets, okay?”_

“It’s not an intentional secret, honest,” Louis felt something brushing against his leg under the table and twitched away from it, “I just didn’t want to get too excited about something that might not happen, you know?”

_“What’s his name?”_

Louis smiled and started tracing circles on the wood of the table. “Harry. He’s a florist. Actually, he’s the one who’s been making those bouquets for mum that you love,” Louis heard Lottie make a soft sound of acknowledgment before he moved on, “and he’s just – he’s brilliant, Lots. I’m falling for him already, I think,” he sighed into the phone.

_“That’s not a bad thing, big brother. It’s probably actually a wonderful thing. Has anything happened yet?”_

“Nah,” Louis tilted his head to rest on the back of the chair, staring up at the ceiling, “well, he kind of kissed me on Saturday, and there’s a ridiculous amount of sexual tension – ‘ _Ew’_ – but I’m taking him out first. He’s gorgeous too, all eyes and lips and hair and legs and _hands_ and – ”

Lottie cut him off with a soft giggle. _“For fucks sake, I get it! He’s gorgeous and lovely and you don’t need to rub it in my face.”_ Louis heard a muffled _Oi_ coming through the phone on Lottie’s end, and it startled a chuckle out of him as Lottie giggled at Sam.

“We should get dinner next week, catch up proper like,” Louis proposed, brushing something away from his leg again before looking down in confusion, “I want to hear how you and Sam are going…”

He trailed off as he looked properly at the floor and what had been annoying him since he sat down. It was the plant Harry had given him, still seated on the floor in its pot in the dark, and Louis had forgotten to water it _again_. It didn’t seem like it had made a difference though.

The plant had grown at least another two inches since he’d last sent a photo to Harry, and some white flowers were starting to grow. They were still closed, but Louis reached forward to gently run a finger over one of them. He startled back when it looked like the plant _moved_ into his touch, and shook his head carefully before stroking it. “Soft,” he whispered.

_“What’s soft? What are you even doing?”_

“Sorry, Harry gave me a plant a couple of weeks ago to show I could keep something alive, and it looks like it’s starting to flower,” he explained, drawing back to study the spade shaped leaves with his fingertips, “it didn’t even look like it could grow flowers when he gave it to me. It’s grown so much, haven’t you pretty?” he cooed at the plant, tickling it before it seemed to shiver slightly. Louis jumped back as Lottie spoke again.

_“How much has it grown?”_

“Like, maybe four inches?” he guessed, staring at the plant and willing it to move again before realising he was being slightly crazy.

 _“Four inches? In two weeks? Louis, that does not sound real!”_ he heard her laugh on the other side of the phone, _“what kind of plant is it? Sounds almost magic, to be honest, especially because I’m sure you’ve been forgetting to water it.”_

Louis’ brain was suddenly running a million miles a minute. Lottie was right; he hadn’t watered it, it had grown, and he realised it didn’t have any sunlight on it. He didn’t know anything about plants, especially this one, but he thought that seemed important. He pushed the thoughts aside, knowing a logical option was out there. Maybe it didn’t need water, like a cactus, and maybe it was supposed to grow this quickly, and maybe it didn’t need sunlight. He nodded determinedly before paying attention to Lottie again.

“I’ll ask him what kind of plant it is, maybe that’ll help.”

_“Send me a photo too!”_

With that, they exchanged good byes, making plans to have dinner next week _“to debrief about your date, obviously”_ , and Louis hung up. He pushed himself up to move into the lounge room, but not before taking a clear photo of the plant to send to Lottie.

******

The first thing Louis saw on Wednesday when he walked into the shop was Harry, facing away from him and bent over at the waist, trying to reach something behind one of the large rustic metal buckets housing bunches of flowers sat on one of the displays. Louis couldn’t help but stare; Harry’s arse looked incredible in those jeans, and his back was arched slightly as he turned his head to the side and panted slightly from the effort. Louis felt his cock twitch when Harry stretched his arm out in front of him, and he suddenly _had_ to know what Harry would sound like if Louis held his wrists above his head while he fucked him. Louis couldn’t contain his moan at the image, and he watched in horror as Harry froze in front of him, his head slowly turning to look at Louis, his body twisting with him.

Louis knew he was in trouble when the only reaction from Harry was a smirk as he held eye contact. “Good morning, Louis,” he slowly pushed himself up, rolling his body slightly as he did so, and Louis swore under his breath. Where the _fuck_ was shy Harry? Louis had almost expected it after this weekend but realised quickly that he should’ve seen this coming – Harry had radiated power and seduction when they’d been dancing and when he’d kissed Louis. “See something you like, Sunshine?” he continued, and Louis still couldn’t move as Harry slinked towards him looking fucking _stunning_ because of course he did. Louis swallowed harshly around the lump in his throat as he reached out to twist in fingers in Harry’s shirt.

“Definitely,” he rasped out, trying to clear his throat, “definitely something I like,” he ran his eyes heavily down Harry’s body, and when he saw Harry chewing on his bottom lip, he tugged lightly so Harry stumbled slightly into him. He reached up and kissed Harry on the very corner of his mouth, making it so it could easily seem like he’d simply missed his cheek, and Harry’s hands came down clumsily to squeeze at Louis’ waist. Louis pulled back just in time to steady Harry, loving the way they seemed to affect each other in the same way just as his eyes met Harry’s. “Hi Bambi,” he murmured before squeezing Harry’s biceps gently and pulling away.

Harry seemed to shake himself slightly before he responded. “How have you been? How’s work been?”

“Work’s good, still working on that young adult magic series,” Louis answered, wandering around the shop so he wouldn’t be tempted to just grab Harry, drag him into the back, and get on his knees for him, “it’s coming together well.” He turned around to see Harry smiling at him softly, and he found himself returning the look easily.

“What kind of magic is it? Like, warlocks or old-fashioned witches or something else?” Harry asked nonchalantly, but Louis could tell he was desperate to know for some reason.

“Curious to know if I’m editing a series you’re reading?” he teased as Harry moved closer to him, running his hand down his arm to settle on his bare wrist. Louis shuddered slightly as he felt that strange, almost electric feeling where they were connected. He’d never believed in it before, read too many books to think that feeling was legitimate, but he knew when he looked up at Harry to find his eyes wide that Harry could feel it too.

“No!” Harry answered quickly, his fingers flitting quickly away from Louis. He missed the warmth immediately. “ I’m just curious, honest.”

Louis studied Harry through slightly narrowed eyes but found only genuine curiosity and affectionate staring back. “It’s wizards and witches, but with like, wands and spells and a magical school and a bad guy,” Louis heard Harry cough but pushed on, gesturing wildly as he got more excited, “relatively cliché, but it’s so good, honestly. There’s owls and everyone plays a sport on _brooms_ and the lead character is this young girl and – _ow!”_ Louis looked down in shock to see that in his excitement, he’d accidentally hit his hand on a small, hard, spiky blue flower in a vase that had scratched his skin.

Louis examined his hand, the small red mark looking like nothing as he looked up at Harry to find he’d already moved closer.

“What _is_ that? It doesn’t look like a normal flower,” Louis stuck his bottom lip out in a pout before looking up at Harry through his lashes, happy when a quiet noise sounded in Harry’s throat, “look, it hurt me.” He blinked innocently up at him, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth slightly before biting down as Harry made another wounded noise, closing his eyes slightly. Louis hid his smirk; he knew what he looked like when he did that. So, he wanted to tease Harry a bit - sue him.

Louis stared at him as Harry reached forward, cupping Louis’ hand with his and running his thumb over his knuckles. Harry didn’t look away as he bought Louis’ hand up to lips, placing the softest kiss on the back of it, his thumb still stroking gently. Louis’ head spun, and he couldn’t keep up anymore as they teased each other back and forth. Whenever he felt like he had control, Harry pulled his legs out from under him with a single look or quirk of his lips, and Louis was more than happy to fall.

“They’re called seaholly,” Harry murmured against Louis’ skin, the warmth causing Louis to press closer, their chests touching as Harry dropped his hand to cup the back of Louis’ head in his huge hand, “I got them in because I’ve been trying to find a flower that matches your eyes,” he admitted, and Louis gasped as he struggled to control himself.

“Harry,” he groaned out, tipping his head back slightly when he felt long, ringed fingers tangle in his hair, “you are making this almost impossible.”

Harry grinned but then stepped back, a look of sincere guilt on his face. “I’m sorry Lou, I just. I can’t help it,” he ran his hands through his own curls, and Louis twitched to join him, “I want you to know how wonderful you are.” Louis stared at him for a moment before answering.

“You’re going to give me a big ego, I’m afraid,” Louis smiled softly at him, “is – is there any chance you could use the sea thingys today?”

“Holly,” Harry corrected him quickly before reaching past Louis to grab them, “and of course.”

Louis watched as he grabbed more to put in the bouquet, and then piped up when a thought came to him, a memory that seemed like it was trying to attach itself to other aspects of his life that Louis couldn’t make sense of. “Like that weird stick that was in your hair the other day!”

Harry seemed to falter in his steps before letting out a breathy and nervous agreement. Louis couldn’t understand why he was nervous; he’d stumbled in front of Louis so many times now, and he just found it endearing. Sensing Harry needed a bit of time to put himself together, Louis wandered around the shop looking at all the different plants and flowers, stopping every so often to gently run a finger over them. He could tell Harry’s eyes were on him at some points, and when he stopped in front of a collection of the plants Harry gave him, he could feel green eyes burning into the back of his head.

“Moonflower,” Louis read out loud, quietly so he didn’t break the odd tension that had settled into the room.

Harry cleared his throat just as Louis was flipping the small tag over to read the growing care instructions, so he dropped it and walked back to the counter, pulling his phone out as he moved.

“Look at me plant, Haz,” he announced proudly, pulling the photo up easily and shoving his phone in Harry’s face, watching him as he almost went cross eyed to see it before taking it from him, their fingers brushing, “it’s growing so well, even though it sits in the dark on the floor and I forgot to water it again.” Harry’s eyes snapped up to his, and Louis could almost feel the panic in them like a tangible force, ready to collapse at any point. Louis reached across in alarm to grip onto Harry’s forearm, but he seemed to get his bearings before Louis could say anything and his eyes were clearing slightly.

“I’m glad you haven’t killed it yet,” Harry teased as he passed Louis the stunning bouquet and took his card, “I’m very proud.”

Louis huffed, taking his card back and stepping away from the counter. “You bloody should be, Bambi. Not watering plants is hard work.” Harry smiled genuinely at him this time, and Louis’ pulse settled back down. “Well, I have to go to work, but,” he stepped forward to meet Harry when he stepped out from around the bench, “are we still on for Saturday night?” His knew his voice was tentative and slightly shy, but he’d never considered the fact that Harry might’ve changed his mind.

“Of course,” Harry smiled warmly, reaching a hand out to cup Louis’ cheek, stroking a thumb over Louis’ cheekbone and sighing when he nuzzled into the touch, “what time?”

Louis blinked up at him before raising his free hand to cup Harry’s where it was warm and solid on his face, “I’ll pick you up at 6:30. Text me your address, okay?” He dropped his hand before moving to step away before he does something stupid, like drop the beautiful arrangement in his hands, leap into Harry’s arms, wrap his legs around his waist, and kiss him until he passes out.

Just as he moved, one of Harry’s arms darted out to wrap around Louis’ waist and pull him flush against his body. As Louis’ arms dangled uselessly by his side in shock, Harry swiftly tilted his chin up with careful fingers, their noses brushing as his eyes searched Louis’ face, but for what Louis has no idea. Just as Louis was about to give in and finally smash their lips together, Harry suddenly moved to kiss his cheek softly, his fingertips sweeping a trail of heat down Louis’ neck, across his collarbones, and down to arm to tangle their hands together.

“I’ll be ready and waiting,” Harry promised, and with a squeeze of his fingers, he stepped back as another customer came through the door, “I feel like I’ve been waiting for you forever, so another few days is more than fine.”

Louis took a second to gather his thoughts as Harry sent him a gentle smile, and just as he reached the door, he spun around with a tight grip on the door handle. “Bambi?”

Harry looked away from the new customer just as he was moving towards the elderly lady, who Louis can see is hiding a small grin into her hand. “Yeah, Sunshine?”

“You’ve only known me a few weeks,” he teased as he turned to leave again, “hasn’t quite been forever, yeah?” Just as Louis thought he’d had the last word, Harry’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“I was more thinking of all the years before then,” Harry said easily, and Louis spun around so quickly he almost smacked into the door, “that makes it feels like I’ve waited for you forever. I’ll see you Saturday,” and with one more grin in Louis’ direction, Harry finally walked over and started to talk to the lady standing near a stock pile of roses.

It took Louis almost 10 whole seconds to move, and as soon as he knew he was out of Harry’s sight, he laughed, tipping his head back to grin at the sky.

**************

“Lottie, if you’re not going to be helpful, kindly fuck off.”

_“Watch it, you wanker! I am being helpful. Just wear those tight black jeans, the ones that kinda look like leggings but aren’t, a nice white t-shirt that doesn’t have any bloody holes in it, and that light blue denim jacket that you have. He’ll be drooling before you get to the restaurant, I promise.”_

Louis put the phone on speaker and threw it lightly onto the bed in front of him. “Fine, that was very helpful,” he admitted as he struggled to put the jeans on, “are you sure it’s not too casual?” He did the zip and button up before taking his hoodie off and slipping into a white t-shirt that didn’t have any holes in it, thank you very much.

_“It’s like, good casual. You’re going to a casual Japanese restaurant, Louis, not a bloody Michelin starred restaurant. What are you doing with your hair?”_

“I’ve already done it, just popped it into a quiff,” Louis answered, sliding the denim jacket on and looking for his Vans and Lottie laughed on the phone.

_“I love how you made that sound so casual, like you didn’t spend about half an hour doing it.”_

Louis flushed as he looked in the mirror one last time, grabbed his phone, and ordered an Uber to take him to Harry’s. “Fuck off,” he shot back, grabbing his wallet and keys before taking Lottie off speaker and heading downstairs, “my Uber’s only a couple of minutes away.”

 _“Alright, alright. Well, good luck, have fun, try not to pass out when you see him.”_ Louis spluttered as she cracked up, before promising her he’d call tomorrow. He hung up just as the Uber pulled up, and while the journey took around 20 minutes, it somehow felt like hours while Louis got increasingly nervous.

When he finally got to Harry’s building, he got a message from him just as he thanked the driver and got out of the car. Leaning against a tree out the front, Louis chuckled when he read the text.

6:24pm

**Text me when you’re here :)**

6:25pm

_And ruin the moment where I get to pretend to be shocked by how gorgeous you look when you open the door of your flat? No thank you, I like being a cliché_

6:26pm

**My building has a front door you can see me stumble out of when I can’t take my eyes off you. Does that count?**

6:26pm

**If you come upstairs to get me, I don’t think I’ll let you leave. I know you’ll look so good that I won’t let you leave all weekend, if you’ll have me**

Louis threw his head back against the tree with a small groan. Harry’s message hadn’t even been dirty, nothing explicit at all, but the images and fantasies it conjured in Louis’ head combined with weeks of basically foreplay were enough to have him half hard. He exhaled loudly before tilting forward to reply.

6:27pm

_If I’ll have you? Never even a question, love. I’m downstairs._

Louis had about two minutes to calm himself, and when he’d finally gotten his breathing under control, he looked up. Everything he’d just done flew out the window when the air felt like it was knocked out of his lungs as he stood gaping at the sight in front of him.

Harry was walking down the steps to his building, and Louis couldn’t think straight. He didn’t know where to look first; the gorgeous pink and white spotted shirt that hung delicately off his frame, the way it was unbuttoned to show half of his chest, the way the sleeves were rolled up to show off his tattoos, his legs in those black jeans, the way his hair looked so _soft_ and pushed back like Harry had been nervously running his fingers through it, his jewellery. Louis finally settled on his face and when he looked up, he found Harry staring at him darkly as he almost stalked towards him.

When Harry reached him, Louis threw himself at him, his arms winding around his neck as Harry’s settled around his waist. He pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, his neck, his chest, hearing as Harry let out a soft gasp and tightened his grip on Louis. Before he could get carried away with how good it felt to be held by Harry again, and how _lovely_ he smelled, Louis wrenched himself away to stand back against the tree, his arm outstretched in front of him to stop Harry as he started to move close again.

“ _Harry,_ ” he managed to get out while they stared at each other, “you look _incredible_ , love.”

Harry grinned at him, but it was almost predatory when he replied. “Thank you, but you look…I can’t even – you have no idea how different this night would’ve been if you’d come to my door.”

Louis whimpered slightly, reaching out cautiously to interlace his fingers with Harry’s. “We’re adults, for fucks sake,” he said, standing up straighter and nodding, “we can control ourselves. C’mon, it’s a 10 minute walk from here.” Suddenly, he found himself being gently pulled back by his hand, and then spun around to face Harry. “Harry, wha- ” Harry lifted his hand to do what Louis thinks must be his new favourite thing and slowly tilted his chin up with his fingers.

“I’m sorry, Louis,” Harry’s face was apologetic, and slightly ashamed, “I like you so much, for who you are as person. I never want you to think that I have a one track mind like I know I’ve been showing lately.” As Louis opened his mouth to respond, Harry continued. “I just – you drive me crazy and I act like a wanker because I want you so much Louis, I’m sorry.”

Louis laughed incredulously, reaching up with his free hand to tuck one of Harry’s curls behind his ear and thread his fingers through his hair. Fuck, this man was going to kill him. “Bambi,” he breathed out, his eyes flitting over Harry’s face, “you don’t need to apologise for wanting me. In fact, please don’t ever apologise for wanting me. Trust me, I want you too,” he gripped Harry’s hair and tugged slightly, pushing out a shaky breath as Harry moaned lowly, “I want you so much, I just tend to date someone before I sleep with them.” His tone was teasing; he knew that Harry respected him, knew how much Harry cared about him, and it hurt him to see that Harry thought he was being aggressive. “And like we’ve already talked about – I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. I like you Harry, so much. I want to take you on dates, and get to know you, and just…be with you,” Louis knew he was rambling, but the growing smile on Harry’s face made him sure it was completely fine, “now come on, let’s go have dinner.”

The walk to the restaurant was quick and Louis couldn’t help but feel like his feelings for Harry were broadcasting over his head. Their hands stayed tangled together the whole time, and by the time they’d been seated, and Harry had pulled his chair out for him, brushing his hand along the small of his back, Louis knew he hadn’t been able to hide the smitten look on his face.

After they’ve ordered, – _“Louis, I promise you’ll like it! It’s fried!” “Yeah, and it has octopus in it! Little suckers and everything”_ – Louis reached across the table, took Harry’s hand in his, and knocked their feet together under the table.

“Is it cliché if I ask you to tell me about yourself?” he asked, grinning as Harry barked out a laugh and squeezed Louis’ fingers gently.

“Oh it is, but I’m happy to play along,” Harry responded playfully, moving forward to rest his chin on his other hand on the table, “what do you want to know?”

_Everything._

“Well, I’m not sure how much time we have, but I can try,” Harry mused, and Louis realised that he said it out loud, “where do you want me to start?”

“Wherever you like, love,” Louis smiled politely at the waitress as she refilled their water before turning his full attention back to the beautiful man in front of him.

Harry seemed to think for a while before he answered, grinning at Louis over his glass of wine. Louis’ heart stuttered in his chest; Harry was truly beautiful, and Louis felt so lucky to be the one sitting across from him. “How about you ask me a question, and then I’ll ask you a question, and we’ll go on like that?”

Louis grinned back at him. “Okay, deal,” Louis let go of Harry’s hand and settled back in his chair when the first plate of food arrived, the okonomiyaki sitting there for all of two seconds before Louis rushed forward to steal the first bite, looking innocently at Harry. “What made you open the shop?”

“Straight into the hard questions, I see,” Harry commented, trapping Louis’ foot between his under the table, laughing when Louis squirmed and giggled, “I’ve always loved flowers and gardening – I used to help my mum all the time, and did some…studies at school. I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left school though. I worked at a bakery for a while during the holidays, but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life,” Louis watched as Harry sighed, stroking his thumb over the cross tattoo on Harry’s hand before he snuck forward to steal some sushi the waitress had just dropped off. Harry smirked at him, tapping playfully at Louis’ hand with his chopsticks before popping a piece in his own mouth. “My mum’s friend needed help in her florist shop once, so I volunteered and never left,” Louis raised his eyebrows in surprise, startling Harry into a laugh, “it’s true! I fell in love with the work straight away, so she trained me. I opened The Lone Hydrangea two years ago, when I was 21, and I’ve never looked back.” Harry had a fond look on his face, and Louis felt so much pride for him, so happy that a man like Harry, who deserved the world, had followed his dreams.

“Did you only know Niall before you opened?” Louis darted forward again to take some more sushi, dipping it in soy sauce and shoving it in his mouth.

“Pretty much! We all went to the same school, but we were just in different years and different houses so,” Harry shrugged, but Louis looked at him confused before asking.

“Houses?”

Louis watched as Harry froze slightly. “Um, yeah, just like, school pride stuff?” Louis nodded at Harry’s answer, and watched as he relaxed back into his chair. “So, what about you? Why editing?”

“It seemed the logical choice,” Louis shrugged, but Harry looked a little bit sad, so he jumped to correct himself, “that came out wrong, I don’t mean it like that. I _love_ my job. It’s just that I’ve always loved English, literature, and grammar. It was obvious to me, but I was lucky that way,” Louis smiled at Harry, running his foot up Harry’s calf. “I went to university, got a shitty editing job straight out of college, and finally got a job where I am now at Direction Publishing.”

“That’s great, Lou,” Harry got out through a mouthful of beef tataki, “what kind of editing do you do? I don’t really know how it works, apart from the genre you edit,” he looked down guiltily.

Louis tapped his foot with his until Harry looked up. “Don’t look so upset, love, it’s a perfectly valid question. I’m a proofreading editor, so I look a lot at grammar and punctuation, syntax, all that kind of stuff. Bebe’s a structural editor – she makes sure it all makes sense basically, and Steve’s a commissioning editor, so he pretty much decides on books or series that come through the door,” Louis explained as Harry nodded along thoughtfully.

“That’s amazing, honestly. I think it’s brilliant that you’re following your passion,” Harry said, blushing as Louis looked at him fondly.

“Thank you, love.”

The night continued in the same way, their conversation going everywhere from family – _“I still can’t believe you have six siblings.” “Trust me Bambi, sometimes I don’t believe it either.”_ – and trying new foods – _“…okay, maybe this isn’t so bad.” “Just don’t purposefully look for the tentacles, Sunshine.”_ – to their childhoods – _“Gemma used to dress me up all the time!” “Oohh, I haven’t seen you in a dress yet, Curly.”_ – and teasing each other under the table – _“Harry, if your foot moves any higher, I swear.” “What, Lou? I’m not doing anything.”_

Louis couldn’t hide the disappointment surging through him when the restaurant started to pack down for the night, but Harry must’ve noticed the look on his face.

“We’ve been here almost four hours. Maybe you could walk me home, so I don’t get lost in the dark,” Harry suggested with a wicked grin that made Louis’ breath catch in his throat.

“Of course, I’d be honoured to walk you home,” Louis answered with ease, “but I’m dropping you at your door, and that’s it.” He looked sternly at Harry, who only continued to grin at him. Louis paid the bill after a brief argument and wrapped his arm around Harry’s waist as they walked out onto the street, Harry’s arm pulling Louis close by the shoulders to protect him against the wind. They walked in a comfortable silence, just content to be in each other’s company and Louis’ heart sank when they reached Harry’s building.

“So, what’s your favourite vegetable?” Louis blurted out, turning to face Harry and wrap his arms around his waist.

“Peas,” Harry answered quickly, shifting forward with a grin to push Louis back slightly so he shuffled backwards.

“Favourite fruit?

“Bananas?”

“Favourite – ”

Louis was cut off by soft lips pressed against his own. He stiffened slightly in shock until he felt Harry’s hands on him, one splayed across the small of his back, the other cupping his cheek gently. Louis didn’t even have time to react before Harry pulled back, a soft fire in his eyes that felt like it was burning Louis everywhere he looked at him.

“Sorry,” Harry whispered, slowly brushing their noses together as Louis’ brain finally caught up to him, “I just know that you were trying to delay the end of our date, and I – ”

“Harry.”

“Yeah?”

“Kiss me again.”

Harry’s eyes widened before he pulled Louis closer by the hand at the base of his spine, and Louis whimpered at the feelings coursing through his body. Everything felt like too much, and they weren’t even doing anything. Harry’s thumb rubbed soothing circles into the dimples at the bottom of his spine as his other hand lit a searing path around to the back of his head, and Louis felt like fire was running through his veins. He gasped when Harry twisted his hair gently between his fingers, and he pushed himself up on his toes to slot their mouths back together.

Harry let out a surprised noise but responded beautifully, and Louis felt like he wouldn’t’ve noticed if the world fell down around them. Harry’s lips were as soft and full as they looked, and their mouths fit together perfectly as Louis fell into the kiss, pressing his body against Harry’s and cupping the side of his neck as he opened his mouth to the insistent press of Harry’s tongue. As soon as Harry slid his tongue into Louis’ mouth, Louis groaned and reached up to pull gently at Harry’s hair. Just as Louis pressed harder, Harry pulled away with a gasp, his hands still tightly holding on.

“Harry, c’mon, please,”  Louis murmured, reaching up to kiss him again, but making a wounded noise when he pulled back. He knew that he’s been the one to slow them down, that he’d wanted to take Harry out before anything happened, but right now, with Harry’s taste on his tongue, he had no idea why he’d thought he could resist him.

“Fuck, please know that I want to, I want nothing more,” Harry reassured him, stroking along the entire length of his spine, and Louis would’ve purred if he could, “but I won’t be able to stop if you keep pressing up against me and kissing me like that.” Harry’s voice had dropped to a slow and sensual drawl, and Louis’ cock twitched in his jeans.

“Maybe I don’t want you to stop,” Louis replied stubbornly, “I’ve wanted you for weeks, Harry. Take me upstairs. Make me yours.”

Louis pressed closer but Harry swore and stepped further back, moving both hands to hold Louis’ face. “Louis, _baby_ ,” Louis’ head swam with arousal at the pet name, and he blindly reached out to grab onto Harry’s shirt, “Lou, I want that, you _know_ I do. I’ve thought about you spread out on my sheets since the first second I saw you, want to watch you writhe underneath me, beg me for it like you almost are now,” Harry crooned before launching forward to kiss Louis harshly. Louis moaned, but Harry was gone again before he could do anything about it. “But I don’t want to risk ruining this by sleeping together too soon, and I know you don’t either. You’re just,” Harry sighed, waving his hands around with a small grin, “too caught up in the moment to realise you’d regret it later.”

“Harry, I – ,” he sighed, and his resolve almost crumbled again when he saw Harry’s dilated pupils and swollen lips, “I don’t want to rush this either, but I’ve never wanted someone this much in my life.” He swallowed harshly before stepping completely into Harry’s embrace and leaned forward to rest his forehead against his chest, humming happily when Harry pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “I know you’re right, but just know I’d never regret it.” Louis willed his heart to slow down as he took deep breaths in, a vain attempt to bring his brain back up to its full capacity.

“I want to take you out next week,” Harry murmured against Louis’ hair as Louis pulled his phone out to order an Uber.

Louis quickly put his phone back when he saw the car was basically around the corner and snuggled deeper into Harry’s arms. “I’m sorry, but if I didn’t order it now, I was never going to leave,” he explained, grinning when Harry chuckled, “and yes, I’d love to go out with you next week. Just name the time and place, Haz. I’ll be there.”

Louis let his eyes drift shut as Harry pressed one last, gentle kiss to his lips, one to each cheek, and one to his forehead. “Your ride’s here.” Louis held Harry’s hands against his face gently, turning his head to press a kiss to both palms before he stepped away completely.

“Bye Bambi,” Louis murmured softly as he opened the car door.

“Good night, Sunshine.”

As soon as Louis was settled in the back seat, he couldn’t help but send Harry a love heart, and if Harry’s message of the same emoji sent within 5 seconds made him squeal softly, that was a secret he could take to his grave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	5. Daisy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bouncing bulbs, sexual tension, and Harry slips up

“It was easily the best date I’ve ever been on, honestly,” Harry sighed happily, adding some greenery into the arrangement he was making for the shop front.

Ed smiled at him as he used his wand to strip a bunch of roses before levitating a group of vases from the storage cupboard. “That’s good, mate. I’m glad it went so well,” he remarked, filling with vases with a quick _augumenti,_ levitating the roses into one of them, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this into someone.”

Harry thought for a moment, his head cocked to the side as he shifted one of the sunflowers into a better position. “I’ve never really felt this way about someone,” he mused, his fingers working quickly to tie off the arrangement, “especially not this quickly. It’s weird, it’s like I can feel my magic responding whenever we touch.” Harry put the finished bouquet into one of the vases Ed had put out, _circumrota_ leaving his lips as he took a step back to survey it from a distance as it turned slowly on its own. When he was satisfied with it from all angles, he cut the spell off with a flick of his wrist before starting on the next one. “That’s a bit odd, isn’t it?”

Ed seemed to be staring into the distance to think before he responded. “To be honest mate, I’m not sure. I’ve only heard of things like that in stories, not any real life examples,” Harry glanced across at him, frowning slightly as Ed started on another bucket of roses, “I’m not saying it’s impossible Harry, it’s just a bit odd, especially with a muggle I think. You’d have to ask someone else I reckon, maybe a Ravenclaw,” he shot a grin in Harry’s direction.

A loud bang sounded from the back of the room just as Harry picked up a vase to put another arrangement in, causing him to drop it with a loud curse, wincing as it shattered.

“What’dya need to talk to a Ravenclaw for? You’ve got us!” Niall grinned as he threw himself dramatically at Ed, who caught him with a laugh and shake of his head. Ed pressed a noisy kiss to the top of Niall’s head before pushing him away with a smile.

Harry shook his head, rolling his eyes. “ _Reparo._ I was just telling Ed – _wingardium leviosa_ – that every time Louis and I touch – ”

“You get that feeling?”

Harry startled at the sound of a strange voice near his back door, and when he turned around with wide eyes, he saw a man he’d never seen before standing against his back wall. He was attractive, tall with dark hair pushed back from his face and honestly, just Niall’s type. Harry shot a sly grin at Niall with a slight tilt of his head and was surprised to see him blush slightly. It’d been months since Harry had seen him with anyone, but he never introduced them to Harry unless they were getting serious.

“Well that, and every time we kiss I swear I can fly,” Harry continued, grinning at the man, who returned it easily.

“Cascada. Nice,” Niall got out through a mouthful of food.

“Where did you even get that from?”

“There’s always food here Ed, you should know that.”

Ignoring his friends for the moment, Harry stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “Hi, I’m Harry, you must be Niall’s – ”

Niall almost fell over in his haste to answer, and Harry shot him a perplexed look. “Staff member! He’s the new tattooist I hired.” Niall was almost as red as the roses Ed was holding. Harry felt his eyes widen in surprise before Niall made eye contact with him, a pleading look on his face. Harry pushed down the feeling of slight worry brewing in his chest at Niall hiring someone he was obviously attracted to before turning back to him as he spoke.

“Shawn,” he shook Harry’s hand, his lips curving up in an easy smile that Harry knew would wreak havoc on Niall. Glancing quickly his friend, he stifled a laugh with his lips pressed together in a thin line. Niall was staring at Shawn with an almost dumbstruck expression on his face, and when Shawn followed Harry’s eyeline to Niall, he saw Shawn wink at him, and Niall turned away flustered. “It’s good to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“You too! Hopefully I’ll see you around here a bit,” Harry replied, moving back over to the bouquet he was working on.

“For sure, man. Niall told me he spends most of his time here,” Shawn chuckled.

Harry snorted, picking up the soft combination of pinks and whites he was making for a baby girl that had just been born. “It’s only to steal our food, I’m pretty sure.”

“Oi!” Niall exclaimed, a faux wounded look on his face, “I also come here to steal flowers sometimes.”

Just as Harry opened his mouth to respond, keeping inside the giggle almost breaking free at the looks Shawn was sending Niall when he thought he wasn’t looking, Ed interrupted.

“Mate, your phone’s been driving me mental, buzzing every bloody minute,” he stated, picking it up and tossing it to Harry. When he looked down to his message, he saw he had six from Louis.

11:55am

_Hey love, I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch today at that cafe near work? :)_

12:15pm

_I’ll bribe you with a muffin_

12:19pm

_I’ll bribe you with a kiss_

12:21pm

_Or seven. Can’t stop thinking about how your lips felt on mine_

12:24pm

_Okay fine, you win. All of the kisses_

12:27pm

_Seriously though, if you’re not busy, I’ll be there from 12:30 for about an hour xx_

Harry knew he was grinning at his phone, but he couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Is that lover boy?” Niall crooned from across the room, puckering his lips at Harry. He sighed, exasperated but fond as he looked up.

“It is,” he replied, tapping out a quick reply to tell Louis he was on his way, “I’m gonna go meet him for lunch, I’ll be back in about an hour.” He grabbed his coat, throwing his hair up in a loose bun. “It’s just near that apparition point a couple of blocks away, I’m going to apparate there to save me some time.” He picked up his wand, shoving it into his jeans before moving towards the empty space near the door.

“You could just walk there, you idiot.”

Harry bristled. “Yeah, but this way, I get to spend an extra five minutes with him.”

Niall guffawed as Shawn smiled knowingly. “You hate apparating!” Niall turned to Shawn, “he’s too uncoordinated most of the time. You’ll see,” he nodded solemnly. Shawn laughed, his eyes bright, and Harry realised he’d have to keep a close eye on them. Mainly for his own entertainment, if he’s being honest.

“Well maybe it’s worth it in this instance,” Harry shot back, grinning at him.

“Have fun!” Ed called, still surrounded by roses flying through the air.

“Be safe!” Niall hollered, earning him a swift middle finger raised in the air.

Blocking out the sound of his friend’s laughter, he closed his eyes to concentrate on what they’d been taught in their training when he was 17. He envisioned the point in his head as clear as possible before focusing all of his resolve to fill the image of the small room in his mind. He let the desire to enter the space flood his body from his mind through to every cell, and just before he left with a soft pop, he made sure to centre his thoughts entirely to where he wanted to be.

When he stopped to stand and gather his thoughts, he didn’t have the time. His eyes shot open, sunlight streaming from every direction, and before he had time to realise something had gone wrong, he was falling onto the pavement beneath him, hard, and accidentally bringing someone down with him. He flailed for a moment before realising he was too entwined with the person who’d landed on him. He struggled for another moment as the person on top of him grunted with the effort, and when he finally settled, he opened his eyes to see blue staring back at him in astonishment.

“Lou,” he panted out, his hands automatically coming up to rest on Louis’ waist as people clucked their tongues, side stepping around them as they walked by, “oops?”

Louis’ arms fell to cage Harry in and press him slightly against the harsh ground, their noses touching lightly. “Hi, love,” Harry noticed his eyes were wide, his pupils slightly dilated and when Harry shifted beneath him, he suddenly became very aware of their position as Louis slotted more into the space between his legs. Just as Harry lifted to head to kiss him, public place be damned, a loud wolf whistle sounded from across the street. Both of their heads jerked to the side to see a group of women giggling at them, and even the heat from the blush covering Harry’s face wasn’t enough to keep him warm when Louis seemed to come back to himself and stood.

Harry watched, still sprawled out on the pavement, as Louis dusted himself off and reached a hand out to help Harry up. His eyes still looked slightly wild, and when Harry was finally standing in front of him, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching up to run his fingers through Louis’ hair to settle it. His heart fluttered as Louis leaned into the touch, keeping eye contact the entire time, and Harry couldn’t stop himself from leaning down quickly to kiss him softly on the lips. Just as he went to pull back, Louis’ fingers hooked into the belt loops at the front of his jeans and pulled him back against him, chasing Harry’s lips until he reconnected them with a sigh. Louis’ lips were slightly chapped from the wind, but they were still somehow soft against Harry’s as he dragged him even closer. Harry licked curiously at Louis’ bottom lip, and when his mouth opened with a whine, Harry slid his tongue forward with a groan, his grip tightening as he moved his hand to the nape of Louis’ neck.

Somebody jostled them slightly and Harry pulled back regretfully as he remembered where they were. “Hi, baby,” he whispered into the small gap between them. Louis beamed up at him as he tangled their fingers together, lifting their joined hands to press a kiss to Louis’ knuckles, filled with fondness as he realised how small Louis’ hand looked enveloped by his. “We should get some lunch.” He dropped a quick kiss to the tip of Louis’ nose, grinning when it caused him to giggle and push Harry away from him slightly.

Harry led Louis into the small cafe on the corner, going up to order himself a coffee and Louis a tea as he watched the smaller man fold himself into a booth and grab a menu. He couldn’t count the number of times since he met Louis that he’d found himself staring at him. He was always gorgeous, always took Harry’s breath away, and it was almost too much that he was also such a _good_ person.

After he’d ordered their drinks, he wandered over to Louis to throw himself into the seat opposite him and entwine their feet underneath the table. He reached across to cover Louis’ hand with his own as he smiled at him. “How’s your day been?”

“It’s been good; busy. I’ve got a couple of other novels to edit now as well as the one I’ve been telling you about, but it’s been good,” Louis returned Harry’s smile easily, and Harry’s hand grew warm where Louis was stroking the back of it with his thumb, “I should be finished Scarlet Sun next week, which is exciting!” Harry couldn’t keep the fond look off his face when Louis bounced slightly in his seat. They were briefly interrupted by the arrival of their drinks, and after they’d ordered their food, Louis pulled his hand away to wrap both around his cup. Harry frowned slightly, but he knew his expression cleared as soon as Louis rolled his eyes with a grin and tangled their feet together more. “How’s your day been?”

Harry thought for a moment while he took a sip of his coffee, watching as Louis stared at the black liquid warily. “It’s been steady, a few regulars and quite a few new customers,” he answered as he watched Louis blow gently on his tea. Fuck, he was so cute. “Oh! I met Shawn, Niall’s new employee.”

Louis looked up from his tea, his eyes as blue as Harry had ever seen them, and he had to stifle a gasp at the image he made. “Oh yeah? What’s he like?”

Harry smirked as he remembered the look on Niall’s face. He’d been friends with him long enough to know what he looked like when he wanted someone, and Niall looked about five minutes away from shoving Shawn into a cupboard and falling to his knees. “He seemed really great; he’s Canadian I think, and ridiculously tall. Really nice guy,” Louis nodded as Harry continued, “Niall wants to sleep with him, I’m pretty sure.”

“That’ll be interesting,” Louis pondered, thanking the waitress with a smile when their food arrived, “hopefully it doesn’t ruin the dynamic of the shop or anything.”

“I think they’ll be okay,” Harry opened his mouth to add more, but quickly closed it. Louis looked at him curiously over him sandwich, so Harry shook his head and elaborated. “I was going to say that Niall knows how to control himself, but with the way Shawn was looking back, maybe he won’t be able to.”

Louis’ eyes twinkled and Harry felt completely stuck in his gaze. “I know that feeling, Bambi.” Harry blushed slightly and wondered if blood would ever be in the right places when Louis was around, but when Harry felt a foot running up the back of his calf, he found he didn’t care anymore. Oh well. Win some, lose some.

Harry lost track of the time as they chatted, Louis’ witty banter, interesting anecdotes, and wicked sense of humour drowning out everything but his raspy voice. Before he knew it, Harry only had 10 minutes to get back to work and he realised that even though Louis’ hands were still wrapped around the cup, he hadn’t drunk any in a while. He nodded at the cup, “Was it okay?”

The other man looked surprised to be asked the question before nodding eagerly. “Of course, just gone cold. Got a bit distracted. You’re too beautiful for your own good.”

Harry smiled at him shyly, reaching across to take one of his hands. As soon as he did, he felt that all too familiar buzz of electricity, but this time it seemed stronger, and he was startled when Louis let go of his tea with a yelp.

“Lou? Are you okay?”

Louis stared at him wide eyed before his gaze slowly fell to the cup. Harry followed his gaze and his chest suddenly tight, his heart leaping into his throat. There was steam rising from the ceramic, the tea now piping hot; definitely hot enough to shock Louis. Harry realised he had no way to explain what had just happened, didn’t even know how to explain it to _himself_. He’d somehow, without meaning to and wandlessly, reheated Louis’ tea just because he’d said it was cold. _Fuck_. As Harry sat there gaping, he steeled himself when he realised Louis was responding.

“That’s so weird, I swear it was cold,” Louis muttered to himself, his eyes flicking quickly between his cup and Harry before he seemed to take a deep breath and nod to himself, “ah well, I guess you just distracted me too well,” Louis laughed, and when Harry joined in, his laugh was high pitched and honestly, a bit terrifying. _Calm down, he doesn’t know, he can’t know._

Harry quickly changed the subject. “Can I walk you back to work?” he stood quickly, watching as Louis’ face softened as he took a final sip of tea and stood. Harry left some cash on the table – _“I should pay, Haz, I asked you to lunch!” “Sorry, I can’t hear you, I guess we’ll have to wait until we’re outside.” “…you’re the worst.” –_ and wrapped his arm around Louis’ shoulders as soon as they got onto the street.

Harry pressed a kiss to the top of Louis’ head as he wrapped an arm around Harry’s waist, snuggling into his side as they started to walk before Louis pointed up. “That looks like an owl! I’ve never even seen one, let alone during the day,” Louis looked up in awe, and Harry got caught up in the moment.

“Oh really? They’re the loveliest and kindest creatures. When I had one at school, she used to – ”

“You had a pet owl?” Louis’ voice was incredulous, and Harry almost kicked himself. He needed to be more careful; dating a muggle was unchartered territory for him, but he knew there were rules and regulations.

“Ahh, I mean, not – _I_ didn’t have – it was, you know, a school owl,” Harry finished lamely, “it like, lived at the school and we fed it and took care of it.”

He glanced at Louis’ face and held his breath when he saw how suspicious he looked.

“You had a school pet owl,” Louis deadpanned.

“I – yeah.”

“Ah. Well. That’s sick! We had a rabbit for a while, but I kinda ruined it for everyone when I – ooh, look! It looks like my plant!” Louis suddenly pulled Harry to a stop in front of a small garden growing on the steps of an apartment building. A vine was growing up the wrought iron fence, and there were small purple flowers buds dotted amongst the lush green, like stars. Spread even further were full flowers, standing out like supernovas against a quiet galaxy. It was plants like this that made Harry remember his love for his job and the industry, and he was distracted until Louis nudged him.

“They’re a type of trailing petunias,” he said softly, grinning at Louis when he reached out to touch one with a delicate hand.

“They’re all so soft,” Louis said in awe, “mine’s still growing, you know. It seems a bit magical climbing up my table, growing more every day.”

Harry was struck by a wave of guilt. He hated lying to Louis, the feeling that Louis was opening up to him just for Harry to hide further away, to lie about who he was and what he’d done. His stomach twisted as his mind started to get away from him, and he was slammed with the thought that he’d have to keep lying to Louis, to this incredible person who has talking to the petunias as though they could hear them, that made Harry feel more than he’d thought possible.

“It’s a shame magic isn’t real, isn’t it?” Harry joked feebly, but even he could tell when it fell flat. Louis turned to him with an unreadable expression, so Harry jolted forward to distract him, plucking a daisy free where it was growing in a watering can. He held it out to Louis triumphantly, settling slightly when Louis beamed at him, looking up at him under his lashes. Harry couldn’t think properly when Louis did that, or when Louis did anything really, and he was sufficiently distracted when Louis spoke again.

“Seems like magic.”

Harry twitched just enough to drop the daisy in his hand, and in his haste to grab it, slightly crushed it in his hand. When he uncurled his fist, the daisy still sat there, but now some of the petals were slightly bent and bruised, and when he looked up, Louis was looking at him patiently.

Harry tried to grin down at him, his fingers coming up to brush Louis’ hair aside to gently slide the crushed flower behind his ear.

“I told you, Lou,” his fingers shook slightly as his stomach dropped, “there’s no such thing as magic.”

Louis’ face remained impassive, and Harry tried to calm the feeling coursing through him as his gaze swept over his face, running a gentle hand down to rest against the side of Louis’ neck. There was suddenly a rush of movement and Harry was completely caught off guard when Louis crushed their mouths together. Harry moaned into the kiss that was searching from the start, and when Louis pulled back, Harry was left panting slightly on the sidewalk.

“I should go back to work, it’s just around the corner,” Louis said breathlessly, “I’ll see you on Wednesday. Text me later.” After a gentle kiss on the cheek, Louis left with a slightly sad smile, and Harry could do nothing more than stand there and watch him leave, wondering what’d just happened.

He ran his hand down his face, his brow furrowed, before disappearing into an alley and disapparating back to the shop. As soon as he came into the room, taking a second to balance himself, Mitch called out to him.

“Hey Harry, Nick said to send you downstairs when you got back. He’s doing those bouncing bulbs, and I don’t think Niall’s being very helpful.”

“Thanks, Mitch, I’ll head down now,” Harry replied, darting down the stairs before Mitch could question the look on his face.

“Hey boss.”

Adam was standing at the counter, trying to evade the baby venomous tentacular plant sat on the bench behind him that was attempting to sneak its way around to sting him. Harry grinned and shot a quick _immobulus_ at the plant, letting Adam grab it.

“Hey, how’s it been today? This little bub is obviously causing mischief,” Harry remarked as Adam moved it to the back enclosed shelf of the shop where the rest of the dangerous plants were housed, away from the general public.

“It’s been constant, a good flow of people through the door,” Harry watched as Adam locked the small section behind him, glaring at the tentacular as it tried to chase him with vines that were too small, “to be honest though, this baby has been nothing compared to the bloody idiots repotting bouncing bulbs for you.” As Adam rolled his eyes, Harry strained to listen and picked up Niall laughter and Nick’s panicked voice. He waved goodbye to Adam as he jogged into the side room of their downstairs space and froze when he reached the door.

One of the men had magicked up a temporary enclosure, and there was dirt, pots, and purple bulbs everywhere. The bulbs were hopping all around the small space, and while Niall looked thrilled as he picked up one to repot it, snickering as it wriggled in his hand, Nick looked completely done with the situation.

Harry pulled out his wand as he stepped over the small barrier. “Is there ever going to be a week where I don’t walk in on you surrounded by pots and dirt, Grimshaw?”

Nick scoffed, his expression affronted as he let out grunt when one of the bulbs jumped right into his lap. “That was one time, you wanker, and it was your fault.”

Harry laughed and sat down in the dirt, his legs crossed in front of him. He filled a pot quickly with dirt before reaching across gently to pick up one of the bulbs. He cooed at it gently to try to stop it breaking free of his grasp, but it jolted in his hand so much that he had to readjust his grip. He could see Nick repotting another two out of the corner of his eye as he dug a small hole in the dirt with his free hand. He placed the bulb into the soil, watching it wriggle to get settled as he scooped the dirt around it, raising his head to watch the others move around the small space. He had a sudden thought to send a video of them to Louis; he’d appreciate the large, purple beans jumping around to purposefully avoid Nick’s hands. He’d pulled his phone out, filmed a short video with Niall clearly chuckling in the background, and was just about to send it when he remembered he couldn’t; Louis couldn’t know, wouldn’t understand. Harry let out a loud groan before pocketing his phone, startled when Niall plopped down next to him as Nick finished the last pot with a triumphant curse.

“Y’alright, H?” Harry’s gaze lifted to find Niall looking at him, his expression soft but clearly showing the concern on his face. Before he could reply, Nick was standing with a hand on his cocked hip, eyebrows raised.

“Honestly Styles, you should be as happy as a Hippogriff in mud,” Nick cut in, gesturing for them both to help him levitate the new pots, “I know you were just with Louis. I can’t imagine why anyone would be unhappy about that. I mean, you’ve _seen_ his arse, I swear the things I – ”

Harry calmly stood with his wand already out and with a soft spell, levitated one of the pots to float directly over Nick’s head. “I wouldn’t finish that, if I was you,” Harry managed to get out through gritted teeth. He was surprised by the level of jealously that had shot through him at Nick’s words, and when Nick looked at him with wide eyes, the pot flew to the shelf with a flick of Harry’s wrist.

“Alright, don’t get your knickers in a knot,” Nick replied indignantly, shooting a glare at Niall who was openly laughing, “I solemnly swear I won’t ogle your boyfriend anymore, alright?”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” Harry spluttered as the last of the pots came to rest in their rightful places. With a swift hand movement, the dirt vanished, the pots flew through the air before stacking together neatly in the open storage cupboard, and the makeshift barrier was gone. “I don’t – I don’t know what to do.”

Niall blinked quickly at the floor where the mess had been, and Harry saw him exchange a quick glance with Nick. “Do about what, mate? I think it’s pretty bloody obvious he likes you too,” Niall replied disbelievingly, “maybe just wait another date or so before having a chat about it.”

Harry could see Nick assessing him curiously from where he stood, obviously trying to figure it out. Harry watched as his eyes narrowed. “What’s bothering you about it? I can tell it’s something big,” Nick said, shutting the door that led into the shop as they heard Adam greet a customer.

Harry sighed, sitting down at the small table and watching as his friends did the same. “Just…every so often it hits me that Louis’ a muggle, you know?” Niall and Nick’s faces both changed, but Harry could see the difference between them. Niall’s eyes had widened, almost as if he hadn’t even considered how that could be a problem, whereas Nick’s quick eyebrow raise seemed to show he was surprised Harry hadn’t. “It doesn’t matter to me, at _all_ , that Louis’ a muggle. I couldn’t care less that he’s not a wizard. He’s brilliant, and I like him so much, but,” Harry bit his lip, gnawing on it nervously.

“C’mon, it’s just us Haz,” Niall encouraged with a small hand gesture. Harry suddenly felt uncomfortable when Nick didn’t move at all, his sharp gaze still as intense.

“I can’t help but think about the fact I’m lying to him, you know? We’ll be having the most amazing time, or he’ll send me a cute picture of a dog, or tell me about his day, and then it just comes from nowhere,” Harry’s head dropped into hands, “this – this _guilt_ that I’m learning so much about him, that I’m falling for him, but he doesn’t even _know_ me, just knows this – this _lie_ that I’m telling him.”

“Harry,” Niall’s voice was sharp, and Harry’s head snapped up, “you are so much more than your magic, you know? This person he’s getting to know; Haz, that’s all you, mate. The fact you’re a wizard doesn’t change who you are as a person. You’ll tell him when you’re ready.”

Harry’s voice dropped. “What if he doesn’t want me when he finds out?”

“Then he’s not the one for you,” Niall commented easily.

“It’s not just that, though,” Harry groaned, kicking his legs out to stretch under the table, “my magic is doing weird things around him.”

“Like what?” Niall asked, quickly looking at Nick, who sat uncharacteristically stoic.

“When we were at lunch just now, he complained that his tea was cold and then suddenly, I’d reheated it,” Niall went to interrupt, but Harry continued, “wandlessly AND nonverbal. I didn’t even realise I’d done it. And!” Harry’s hand slammed onto the table, causing the men to jump, “when I apparated to meet him today, I didn’t even land at the apparition point. I landed on Louis, literally _on_ him. That’s never happened to me before. I thought I’d been caught today – he was talking about magic and I crushed a daisy and then put it behind his ear, and we kissed on the street and there’s also the fact that the plant I gave him _keeps growing_ ,” Harry knew he was rambling, but he took a deep breath to continue anyway. “Also, whenever we touch I can feel my magic reacting to him, I’ve never felt anything like it before,” Harry let out a breath just as Niall seemed to be vibrating in his seat.

“That’s _sick_ mate,” Niall said excitedly, “I’ve never heard anything like it! I’ve got a good mate in Ravenclaw, you know him, I’ll ask him if he knows anything about it.”

Harry smiled softly as Niall jumped up and dashed out of the room. He swung his gaze back to Nick and addressed him with an eyeroll when he saw he still hadn’t moved. “You’ve been quiet, Grimshaw. That’s very unlike you,” Harry teased, faltering slightly when Nick just sent him a small smile.

“I’m fine, really,” Nick answered, but Harry wasn’t convinced, “I’m happy for you, I am, just…be careful, yeah?” Harry nodded slowly, watching in confusion as Nick got up to press a quick kiss to his head before he moved out of the room. He sat there a moment longer, trying to figure out what had happened. Nick had said he liked Louis, that Louis was attractive, that he was happy for Harry. Why did it seem like he thought it was a bad idea? Nick was from a pureblood family, but he’d never shown any disregard for muggles. Harry shook his head as he stood, wandering upstairs.

By the time he got up there, Niall was sitting on his work bench chatting happily to Sarah, and Ed was on the phone. Harry realised it was their flower supplier when he heard a _‘I know, Merv, I’ll tell him’_. Harry felt his phone vibrate and when he pulled his phone out, he saw he had a text from Louis, and his face lit up reflexively.

2:05pm

_Sorry I had to rush away, love. Hope your afternoon is as lovely as you x_

Harry grinned down at his phone, ignoring Niall’s teasing tones, and called out to Ed just before he was to hang up from Merv. “Sorry Ed, but can you get Merv to chuck some daisies in as well?” Ed nodded quickly before rattling off the message and hanging up.

“Daisies, huh?” Harry looked up when Niall directed the question to him and flipped him off when he saw Niall’s shit eating grin.

 “We can talk about Shawn instead, if you like,” Harry shot back, a feeling of pride taking over when he saw Niall’s face pale and watched as Sarah snapped to attention. He knew Niall would probably get him back later, but when he could hear Sarah’s interrogation begin with Ed joining in about half way through, he settled back into his seat with a grin to reply to Louis.

2:09pm

**No need to apologise, Lou! And same to you. See you Wednesday x**

Harry pocketed his phone, a smile still settled on his face, just in time to hear Niall.

“ – and it’s not like we’ve already _fucked_ , honestly, the way you’re acting you’d think you’d caught me bent over the chair or summat.”

Harry choked on his own saliva.

*************

Harry had always loved mornings. He loved the slow wash of awareness that flooded his body as he woke up, the feeling of aching relief when he stretched out with faint pops and cracks, the five minutes he allowed himself to stay wrapped up in his duvet, the fresh air if he went for a run or to yoga. He loved mornings even more when he woke up to messages from Louis.

He smiled as he turned over to his side, propping himself up his elbow to reach across and grab his phone. With slow fingers, he opened the text, holding onto it and rubbing at his eyes as it came onto the screen. When he spun it back around to look, he dropped it onto the mattress below him.

7:04am

_Woke up earlier because I had a dream about you_

The photo open on Harry’s phone seemed to be shot from up near Louis’ head, and Harry’s teeth dug into his bottom lip as he looked at the expanse of Louis’ tan, tattooed skin. He felt himself twitch in his pants as he thought about running his tongue and lips over Louis’ body, tasting every inch of him until he couldn’t hold back anymore.

Harry’s breath hitched as his eyes greedily ran over the image; Louis’ hand was wrapped around the obvious bulge in his pants, gripping tightly over the material that was slightly darker near the tip. Harry swore his mouth watered slightly as he ran his hand down to squeeze himself, the pressure and friction making him moan lowly before he regretfully pulled away to tap out a dazed reply.

7:33am

**Fuck Lou. Wish I’d been there, want you so much. So gorgeous**

Throwing his phone back to the bed, he closed his eyes as he shimmied out of his pants and settled back on the bed. He couldn’t help but imagine what Louis had done after that photo had been taken. Maybe he’d wanked himself slowly, teasing himself before he came loudly with his head thrown back, his neck on display for Harry to mark with his mouth. Maybe he’d slid two fingers inside himself, fucking down on them and pretending they were Harry’s cock, gasping every time he hit the bundle of nerves inside. Harry had just started to slowly stroke himself when his phone buzzed next to his head.

7:35am

_Wish you’d been here too, Haz. Came so hard thinking of sucking you off in the shower_

Before he’d even made the conscious decision to do so, Harry found himself jumping out of bed and rushing into the shower to play along with Louis’ fantasy. As the water grew warmer, he wrapped his fingers around his cock, sighing at the pleasure that coursed through him as started to stroke himself. Harry groaned low in his throat as the water washed over his back, one hand moving up to brace against the tiles of the shower as the other twisted roughly over the head of his cock. He could feel heat pooling at the base of his spine, so he slowed down, loosening his grip to tease himself, running his index finger up the thick vein on the underside. He hissed out a breath as he imagined Louis spread out on his bed, head thrown back, tanned skin flushed red, hands fisted in the sheets. He tightened his grip, speeding up as he thought about what Louis would sound like when he came, what he would look like as Harry slowly took him apart with his tongue, with his fingers, with his cock. He had a sudden flash of a dream he couldn’t remember having, but as the image of Louis on his knees slammed into his brain, his sharp cheekbones prominent with his cheeks hollowed as he moaned around Harry’s cock, he couldn’t control himself anymore. Knowing that Louis had gotten off to the same thing, combined with the image in his mind of him looking up at him through his lashes, Harry knew we wouldn’t last much longer.

“Ah, fuck – _Louis_.” His legs shook slightly as he panted harshly into the quiet space, the wet sound of his hand suddenly deafening.

He desperately wished Louis was with him, body slick under the spray of the water as Harry pushed him roughly against the wall of the shower and devoured his mouth. Harry tried to clutch onto the tiles as he felt himself start to unravel, wondering what Louis would feel like wrapped around him, how hard he’d pull Harry’s hair, how tight he’d get when he got close, how his pretty voice would sound moaning Harry’s name in his ear as he came between them.

With a shout, Harry felt his whole body stiffen as his orgasm raced through him, sparks settling behind his eyelids as he painted the wall in front of him. He gasped as he came down and leant forward to rest his forehead on the soothing cool of the ceramic.

By the time he’d gathered his thoughts enough to resemble a functioning human, the water was cold.

7:55am

**Can’t wait to take you apart the way I just imagined in my shower. Thinking of you on your knees almost made me pass out when I came.**

Harry quickly got dressed and was just about ready to go when his phone buzzed again, causing him to grin smugly when he saw it.

7:56am

_…fuck_

******

Harry was rearranging the magnolia filled metal buckets where they sat on the shelving when he heard the front door open on Wednesday, whipping around when he heard the raspy, low pitched voice that cracked through the air.

“Harry.”

While Harry knew Louis would come in, just like every other week, nothing could’ve prepared him for the sight in front of him. Louis looked like the embodiment of power. Harry’s knees weakened slightly at the image Louis made, standing in the open door, the tailored black suit he was wearing showcasing his arms and waist. He was standing tall and straight, and even from where Harry stood, he could see the fire burning in his eyes. They’d been texting constantly, but Louis hadn’t alluded to anything being wrong.

“Lou-Louis, hi,” Harry fidgeted slightly as the other man’s eyes continued to burn into him, raking slowly down his body and causing Harry to shudder, “I – are you okay?” The door shut with a soft _snick_ , and Louis was suddenly walking towards him like he was on a mission. Just as Harry opened his mouth to speak again, Louis reached him, gripped onto Harry’s shirt, yanked him forward, and crashed their mouths together.

Harry stumbled slightly, his hands coming up to clutch onto Louis’ hips clumsily as his mouth dropped open with a whine. Harry couldn’t think, could barely even breathe when that just caused Louis to dart his tongue between Harry’s lips, their tongues meeting hotly as his managed to finally steady his mind. He felt fingers run up his neck to twist into his hair and tug harshly as he let out a moan, pulling back slightly with a nip to Louis’ bottom lip. He looked quickly down, taking in hooded blue eyes, swollen lips, and panted breaths, and dived back down to capture Louis’ bottom lip between his own.

He heard Louis moan as he wrapped both arms strongly around his waist before moving one hand down to squeeze Louis’ arse. Harry pulled back with a groan, his fingers flexing as he rested their foreheads together. He’d thought about this _so much_ , dreamt about it _so much_ , and now that he was finally touching Louis the way he’d desperately wanted to, feeling the other man rock against him gently, it took him too long to remember that they were in the shop.

“ _Fucking hell_ , you two,” Mitch’s voice cut through the air, and Harry went to pull back as he felt his cheeks flush. Louis’ hands held him in place though as he felt lips travel down his throat. He let his head loll back as he gripped Louis’ arse tighter, his other hand coming up to tangle through Louis’ hair. “I’ll get the hose, I swear to Merlin!”

Harry panted when Louis pulled back with a soft noise before he was winding their fingers together and tugging them towards the back room door. He couldn’t look away from Louis’ arse and swaying hips as he followed, and only just caught the end of the conversation.

“ – can look after the shop, right mate? Hate to steal him from you, but we won’t be long.”

Mitch snorted at Louis as he waved them through to the back. “As long as you don’t tell me what you’re doing, I don’t care,” he looked around the shop, avoiding eye contact as he continued, “please don’t defile the back room.”

Harry let out a sound of indignation as they pushed through the door, his grip tightening on Louis’ hand. “We’re not – nothing’s happening, honestly!”

“Yes it is Harold, keep up please,” Louis said calmly, letting out a sound of triumph when he spotted the wooden door that led to the vase cupboard. Before he could blink, Harry found himself pushed into the small space, the dim light switched on as Louis reconnected their mouths, his tongue pushing into Harry’s mouth with no warning.

Harry backed up against the wall, resting against it as his hand slid back down to grab Louis’ arse, his other hand cupping his chin to tilt his head back so he could deepen the kiss. He knew he was hard, his cock throbbing in his pants as he felt Louis grind against him, a whimper falling from his lips as his hand moved to cradle the back of Louis’ head. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this hard just from kissing someone, didn’t think it’d ever happened before, and he let out a startled moan when Louis’ hand was suddenly palming him over his jeans.

“ _Louis_ , I – ah, God, _Lou_ ,” Harry’s hands fell suddenly as Louis dropped to his knees, and just like that, he was frozen, staring down at the beautiful man in front of him. Louis’ hands ran up Harry’s thighs, his thumbs brushing over the bulge in front of his face before settling on the button and zipper. He looked up at Harry with almost innocent eyes and Harry threw his head back against the wall, one hand coming down to brush gently through Louis’ soft hair, pushing his fringe out of his face. Harry struggled to concentrate on anything other than Louis’ thumb still rubbing over his cock slowly, and when he accidentally tightened his grip on his hair, Louis whined.

“Please, can I suck you? God Haz, please.”

“Fucking hell, Louis, _yes_ ,” Harry hissed out as his dick twitched. Louis seemed to smirk as he followed the movement and leant forward to mouth over the denim. Harry’s hand tightened again. “Sorry baby, sorry, it’s just – here? At my _work_ in a _storage cupboard?_ ”

Louis let out a small chuckle before he popped the button and slowly pulled down the zipper, his lips following the same path as Harry panted above him. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking it. Can’t wait to feel you in my mouth, let you fuck my face,” Louis breathed out. Harry’s knees almost went from under him at the words, and he was suddenly desperate to be buried inside the man under him. His stomach twitched as Louis pushed up his shirt, running his fingers teasingly along the waistband of his pants and sending sparks through his entire body to end at his groin. “Need to taste you so badly,” Louis moaned, and Harry held his breath as he started to pull the material down.

“Harry! What are you even doing? I need you out here!” There were three harsh knocks on the door, and Louis pulled back with a whine.

“Haz, please, they can wait,” Louis begged, and Harry was suddenly bending down to kiss him harshly, pulling him up with an arm around his waist. He left harsh kisses and marks down Louis’ neck as he ground against him, before pulling back with a jolt. He had a job, and a business, and there were people on the other side of the door now, apparently.

“I’m sorry, _trust me_ ,” Harry whispered as they slowed down, cupping Louis’ face and gently pressing their lips together, grinning when Louis smiled softly and closed his eyes, “but I have to go out there. Please believe me when I say I don’t want to. You have no idea how much I want you.”

Louis let out a huff, grinding slowly against Harry’s thigh. “Think I might have some idea, love.”

After they’d fixed their hair and clothes, Harry slowly opened the door. He knew this would be a nightmare, and that Nick would never let him live it down. Louis was pressed up tightly against his back, his arms around Harry’s waist, and so he was hidden from view mostly when Harry caught sight of Nick, Ed, and Niall in the back room. His stomach dropped, but he couldn’t help but chuckle when he could feel the vibrations from Louis’ giggles behind him.

“Styles, what the fuck? There’s _so_ many daisies in here, and I don’t even know what you were – ” Nick’s eyes narrowed slightly as he seemed to take in Harry’s appearance. He plastered an innocent expression on his face, but he knew it wasn’t enough when he recognised the exact moment Nick spotted Louis. “Oh my – Harry!” Nick shrieked, and both Harry and Louis burst out laughing as Louis popped out and stood next to him, keeping one arm wrapped around Harry’s waist. Ed was bright red in the face, and Niall looked like he was about to implode with happiness.

“Oh don’t worry, nothing happened,” Louis said, rolling his eyes, “although if you’d been about 5 minutes later, it’d be a different story so, thanks for that,” he added sarcastically, dropping Harry a quick wink. Harry grinned back, leaning over to press a kiss to Louis’ temple.

“Hiiiiiii, Louis,” Niall sang, shooting forward to wrap him up in a hug. Harry’s heart warmed as Louis laughed and hugged him back, and he couldn’t resist reaching out to run a hand down Louis’ side. He stopped suddenly as Louis and Niall chatted, his hand resting on the dip of Louis’ waist, and ignored Ed’s still red face and Nick’s scandalised expression to look around the room.

It was full of daisies. The buckets covered every surface possible, a sea of white staring back at Harry.

“What,” Harry started as he moved forward, stopping to examine some of them, “wha – why is there so many of them?”

“I was hoping you could answer that,” Nick answered dryly, leaning against the wall and still shaking his head at Harry’s appearance.

“I have no idea,” Harry answered honestly, “Ed and I ordered some, but I don’t know why there’s so many here now. I didn’t even notice when Louis and I came through here.”

Niall grinned, moving a bucket to the floor to sit on the bench. “That probably had more to do with the fact that you were a bit ah, _distracted_ , than anything, mate.” Harry heard Louis snicker next to him, and gently pinched his side in retaliation. His expression softened when Louis looked up at him, his lips pushed out in a pout, and Harry bent down to kiss him softly.

“Alright, cut it out,” Ed’s voice was amused as he threw something soft at them. Harry watched as it bounced off Louis’ head and tumbled to the floor. “There wasn’t always this many, either. When they got delivered earlier while you were in the shop, there was only a quarter of this. I don’t know where the others came from,” Ed explained, frowning as he looked around.

Harry could feel his hands starting to sweat; his magic has been doing the oddest things with Louis around. Was it possible he’d done this too? He watched with slightly panicked eyes as Louis stepped forward and held a petal between his fingers.

“Daisies?” he asked, his expression confused yet soft as he turned to look at Harry, his fingers trailing over more blooms, “they look just the one from the other day.”

“That’s why I got them,” Harry whispered, watching as Louis beamed up at him. His own personal sunshine.

“Oi!” Niall shattered the mood instantly, “you never let me touch your flowers! You’re so weird about it, and here Louis is, touching everything in sight. That’s unfair,” Niall pouted.

“You don’t let anyone else touch your flowers?” Louis asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

Harry reached out and ran his thumb along Louis’ cheekbones before stepping closer to him. “No, just you, Sunshine.” Harry could feel Louis’ heart beat as he moved his hand to settle against the side of his neck.

“I’m so happy I met you, Bambi,” Louis murmured against his lips as he pushed up on his toes to kiss Harry sweetly. Harry flattened a hand over the small of Louis’ back, humming happily when it caused him to wrap his arms around Harry’s neck.

“Fucking hell H, get a bloody room.”

Louis pulled back as Harry chased after his lips. “Well we tried, but _someone_ interrupted us,” he turned to shoot Nick a playful glare, but Harry was too distracted trying to kiss him again, “alright love, I really do need some flowers.”

Ten minutes later, after Louis had walked out and left Harry with a soft kiss, the promise of a date on Saturday, and holding a daisy-filled bouquet, Harry slunk quietly into the back room. Unfortunately, his entrance didn’t go as unnoticed as he’d hoped.

“Bambi? Sunshine? You’re both disgusting,” Nick announced as soon as Harry had stepped through the door.

“You’re just jealous, Grimshaw!” Niall shot back, grinning at Harry as he _accio-_ ed a banana into his outstretched hand, “but in the cupboard? Really?

Harry groaned, pulling out a stool as he joined them. “I wasn’t really thinking properly at the time, Ni.” There was a bit of comfortable silence until Harry looked around the room and remembered what he’d done this morning. “Has that been going the whole time?” he pointed to the sink, watching as Nick followed his line of sight to the dishes doing themselves in the air above the sink, and nodded. “Lucky Louis didn’t notice, bloody hell.”

“Speaking of your magic and Louis,” Niall started, continuing even when Harry whined, “that was you who multiplied the daisies, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know,” Harry answered honestly, looking down at his hands, “but it seems to be getting worse whenever I’m with him, so it’s more than possible.”

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Nick standing over him. “You have to get it under control. You can’t risk him finding out.”

He felt himself nodding, resigned to waiting until Niall heard back from his Ravenclaw friend. He picked a daisy and spun it between his fingers, the petals blurring to create a white circle with the movement as he thought about where to take Louis on Saturday.

******

_“Mini golf Harry, really?”_

Harry huffed as he finished putting his boots on, standing up to grab his wallet as he headed downstairs. Both of Harry’s parents and his sister were muggles, so he’d been raised in the muggle world. While his magic was a part of him, flowing through his body and making him part of who he was, he still used muggle transportation sometimes, had a mobile phone, and preferred to do a lot of things without magic, like cook. He juggled his phone to rest comfortably between his shoulder and cheek.

“Gems, it’s not like, standard mini golf. There’s a bar, and street food, and it’s for adults,” he explained as he closed the door to his building behind him before starting to walk to a nearby tube station, “we’ll have some dinner, a couple of drinks, and then hopefully – ”

_“I’m going to stop you right there; I don’t want to know anything about what my little brother gets up to with his dates.”_

Harry grinned as he trotted down the station’s stairs, politely moving through the crowd. “Alright, I get it. Do you think it’s a bit presumptuous of me to have removed all trace of magic from my flat just in case though?” Harry’s grinned widened as he heard his sister laugh on the other end of the phone.

_“How did you even do that?”_

“Just put everything in cupboards, took down the moving pictures, all that kind of stuff,” Harry shrugged, “alright, I should go, I’ve gotta get on the train.”

_“Alright, have fun, little brother. Just – don’t tell me about it.”_

Harry chuckled and hung up with a quick goodbye. By the time he was on the train heading to Bank, he let his mind wander to Louis. Beautiful, kind, funny, gorgeous Louis that he was falling for, head over heels before he’d even given himself permission. By the time he resurfaced and was walking to meet Louis outside the venue (he’d insisted he didn’t want to be picked up, for some reason that Harry didn’t question), he looked like he was in daze between his soft eyes and smile.

“Haz!”

He looked up and he swore if his heart kept stopping every time he saw Louis, he wasn’t going to live much longer. He was jogging towards Harry, dark blue jeans and a soft, red sweater on, a smile stretched across his face. Harry walked to meet him, pushing his hair back before leaning down to stop him, cup Louis’ face, and kiss him. They kissed softly, lips slick as Harry lost himself, giving in to the feeling of Louis’ fingers dragging through his hair to settle at the nape of his neck.

“You look stunning,” Harry murmured, pulling back slightly to brush their noses together before pressing a quick kiss to the tip of his nose and causing Louis giggle, “should we go in?” Louis nodded happily when Harry linked their fingers, but it was nothing compared to the look on his face when Harry pulled their entwined fingers up to place a gentle kiss to the back of Louis’ hand. Suddenly Louis stopped, staring ahead as Harry looked at him in confusion.

“Um, love? Where _exactly_ are you taking me tonight?”

Harry followed his slightly amused gaze to the sign on the building in front of them, the alley to the door covered in fake greenery, before he realised – _oh no._

“Oh God Louis, it’s not – I swear, it’s not what it looks like, I – ” Harry stumbled over his words as Louis watched on amusedly, “it’s just called that because it’s _mini golf_ Lou, that’s it! I swear – I mean, it also has bars and food and everything, but I would _never_ – ” he was suddenly cut off from his rambling by Louis’ lips on his, not even having time to respond before he’s suddenly gone again.

“Love, I believe you, it’s just…’Swingers’? I didn’t know what to think,” Louis laughed out, his eyes twinkling as Harry’s heart slips a little deeper into his stomach, “alright, let’s go get drunk and play golf then, hey?”

Two hours later, after they’ve eaten pizza and tacos and drank enough cocktails that Louis still tasted like strawberries when Harry licked into his mouth half an hour after his last drink, they’re finally playing mini golf and Harry is, well. Awful.

“Don’t laugh at me, Lou,” he whined out, pushing his bottom lip out in a pout as Louis cackled at him, watching his ball roll back down the hill.

“I’m sorry, love. Didn’t you play any sport in school?” Louis asked, setting up his shot and whooping as it went up and over the small incline. They’re only on the third hole and it’s not even a question of who’s going to win by the time they’ve played both courses.

Harry scoffed before lining up his shot for the fourth time, a noise of frustration leaving his lips as it came straight back down the hill. “Does it look like I played sport in school?” he asked dryly, wrapping an arm around Louis’ waist as the other man laughed and pressed a lingering kiss to his neck. He tightened his grip slightly, feeling his body start to react as Louis groaned quietly and latched his lips to Harry’s neck, sucking lightly before pulling back. “Did you play any sport?”

“I played footy, still do sometimes,” Louis answered absentmindedly before Harry felt his lips travelling across his jaw, tilting his head slightly to give him better access. “You know, this place reminds me of your shop a bit,” Harry groaned when Louis bit at the hinge of his jaw, “all wood and greenery and lovely,” he breathed out harshly when Harry twisted his hand into Louis’ hair to keep him place as he sucked softly behind his ear. It was one of Harry’s weak spots, and he felt his magic almost pulse through the air. Louis moaned right into his ear, and _fuck_ , Harry was hard now.

“Louis, I – ”

“Reminds me of Wednesday. Been dreaming about your cock, how long I’ve been waiting for it, how I need it, how big you felt under my hand,” Louis punctuated his whispered confession with a nip to Harry’s ear lobe, and Harry couldn’t resist dropping his hand to palm at Louis’ arse. Louis pulled back with a look of mock outrage, his dilated pupils giving away his true thoughts. “Harold! This is a miniature golf course. There are _children_ around!”

Harry chuckled as he crowded into Louis’ space, tilting Louis’ chin up with his index finger and thumb before brushing their lips together. “This is an 18+ venue, baby.” Louis’ eyes glinted in the lights and he was so beautiful that Harry couldn’t stop himself from pressing their lips together more firmly.

“ _Children,_ Harold. _Innocent_ children,” Louis managed to get out as he dropped his putter to card his fingers through Harry’s hair, “I wonder if there’s somewhere we could go instead?” he mused, causing Harry to pick up Louis’ putter and tug him off the course. He pressed Louis carefully up against one of the wooden walls, grinding forward slightly when he felt Louis half hard against his thigh. He was gorgeous and pliant, head knocked back as he moaned quietly, and Harry caged him in with his arms resting against the wood. “Like maybe, your place?”

“We’ve only played three holes, Lou. We’re nowhere near done yet,” Harry shot back playfully, but Louis’ eyes darken and narrow, and Harry choked on a moan as Louis wrapped his fingers around his hard length and squeezed.

“Oh darling,” Louis’ eyes were boring into Harry’s, and he couldn’t look away, “I’m nowhere near done with you either.”

*****

The door slammed open, harsh pants, breaths, and moans filling the air, slick sounds and stumbling feet filling the flat. Harry’s head was spinning as Louis pushed himself up onto his toes to slot their mouths together again, tilting his head to kiss Louis deeper as he pulled him flush against his body. He let out a guttural moan as their cocks grinded together, pushing his hands up Louis’ sides and taking his jumper and shirt with it. He threw them uncaringly to the floor, panting slightly into Louis’ mouth as they kissed desperately. He ran his hands up the expanse of Louis’ back, holding him close as he opened his mouth wider.

He didn’t want this to be a quick fuck, _needed_ this to be something more, but Louis made him burn from the inside out and he couldn’t focus on anything enough to stop. He felt surrounded by him, his lips as they sucked gently on Harry’s, his tongue, wet and slick as it flicked against the roof of his mouth, his curves as Harry ran his hand down to cling to Louis’ waist. Harry knew Louis deserved to be absolutely worshipped, to know that Harry’s never felt this way about anyone before, but any thoughts he had flew out of his head as Louis’ hands grazed over his nipples through his shirt.

Harry pulled back with a hiss, kicking Louis’ feet to spread them slightly as he worked his thigh in between his legs. “What do you want? God Lou, tell me,” he choked out as Louis ground down against his thigh with a whimper. The sound travelled straight to Harry’s already painful erection, and he hauled Louis closer by his arse to help him grind against his leg.

“Anything, everything,” Louis replied, his voice breaking slightly as he circled his hips. Harry couldn’t stop thinking about him riding his cock as he moved his hips like that on top of him, and this was all going to be over too quickly. “Whatever you want.”

“Everything, I want everything with you.” Harry watched as Louis froze for a moment, his hands stilling where they’d come to rest in Harry’s hair, and suddenly there was a flurry of movement as Harry stumbled back, Louis attached to his chest.

“Harry, take off your _fucking_ clothes, I need you,” Louis gasped out, fingers working quickly over the buttons of Harry’s shirt to push it off his shoulders and latch onto his collarbones, running his fingertips over the butterfly tattooed on his stomach. They kissed distractedly as they unbuttoned each other’s jeans and before Harry realised what had happened, they were both standing naked in his hallway.

Harry pulled back to cup Louis’ face and let his gaze run down his body. He was _stunning_ , like he’d been plucked straight from Harry’s fantasies to drive him insane. His tattoos stood out starkly against his tan skin and Harry ducked down to kiss along his chest, his tongue tracing the words written there. Where his face and collarbones were all sharp angles, his body was soft and curvy, but muscular, and Harry could almost see his personality in it all; his sharp wit and sass, his soft words and kind heart, and his obvious strength and courage.

He moved his palms down to Louis’ neck, his fingers pressing urgently as his thumbs moved up to tilt his head up by the chin, giving him more room to discover with his lips and tongue. His eyes finally dropped down to Louis’ cock where it hung hard and heavy in between his thighs. He walked backwards, pulling the other man with him as he captured his lips again before he hit the wall behind him. “Louis, you’re _so_ gorgeous, fuck – ,” Harry begged, both men moaning when their bare skin pressed together for the first time. Louis suddenly dropped harshly to his knees, his eyes widening when he saw Harry hard and leaking. He wrapped his hand around it and tugged twice as he placed hot kisses along the laurel tattoos on Harry’s hips.

“You’re stunning, darling. These are lovely, just like you,” Louis murmured before leaning forward to press a wet kiss to the head. Harry groaned, long and low, and buried his hands in Louis’ hair. “I’ve waited long enough, _please_ let me taste you.”

Harry’s hands twitched and his thighs shook. “God, touch me Lou – fuck, _please_ \- ” he let out a shout as Louis lapped at the head of his cock before swallowing him down. Harry’s knee buckled slightly, but Louis’ strong hands held his hips to the wall as he pulled back, sucking hard. “ _Louis_.” He tugged at Louis’ hair gently, committing to memory when Louis whined and pulled back to run his tongue heavily up the underside before leaning forward to slowly take Harry down his throat.

Louis’ mouth was hot, wet, _tight_ , and Harry was close already. Fuck, he needed to control himself. He stroked gently across one of Louis’ cheeks, pressing lightly into the hollow to feel himself inside his mouth with a loud groan. Louis’ moaned around his cock and Harry’s hips accidentally snapped forward, and with a gasp he was pulling Louis off his cock by a gentle grip on his hair.

“God I’m sorry, your mouth is just – come back up here,” he urged Louis up with a hand under his chin and as soon as he was standing, Harry gripped his thighs, lifted him up, and spun around to push him against the wall. He held Louis up with his body pressed tightly to the wall as he wrapped his legs around his waist, running his hand in a burning trail from Louis’ ankle to his thigh.

Louis whined high in his throat as Harry kissed him, pulling away with a sharp bite to his bottom lip. “How the fuck are you so – _fuck –_ coordinated now?” Louis panted into Harry’s mouth, the friction from their bodies sending them hurtling towards the edge.

Harry grunted as one arm slid under Louis to hold him up, the other moving to wrap his fingers around both of their cocks as he felt pleasure spark through his whole body. “I’ve wanted you for too long.”

Their lips met again, but they were both breathing too heavily to kiss properly. Harry could feel his orgasm about to slam into him, the feel of Louis’ cock pressed against his too much to handle, his sweet moans driving Harry crazy as he moved his hand faster.

“Fuck, Harry, so good – _fuck_ , I’m so close, don’t stop,” Louis sobbed out, his hands clinging to Harry’s back. Harry tightened his grip and with a shout of his own name in his ear, Louis suddenly came between them, his body trembling as his come made the slide of Harry’s hand wet and hot and Harry was coming with a low groan, latching his lips onto Louis’ neck as he slowed his hand, gripping tightly onto Louis with the hand under his arse.

His mind was fuzzy as he slid slowly to the floor, keeping a firm hold on Louis until they’d settled against the wall. He sighed contently, nuzzling into Louis’ neck and smiling when he felt lips press into his hair and fingers softly trailing over his shoulders. He whispered so he wouldn’t break the moment.

“Stay. Please.”

There was no hesitation, and Harry’s heart thumped wildly in his chest.

“Always.”

The next morning, after Harry had made breakfast and they’d both gotten each other off tangled together in his bed, he’d kissed Louis good bye at his door with a fond grin, promising to message him that afternoon. As soon as he turned around, he was faced with the smiling picture of his family as they waved at him, Gemma grinning into her hand. He waved back with a small chuckle before starting to move towards the kitchen before he realised what he’d done. He’d left a picture up. Surely Louis hadn’t seen it, he assured himself.

He’d just have to be more careful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	6. Peony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A flower delivery, sexting, and Louis realises something

Louis sang quietly to himself as he sat at his desk on Monday morning, happily flicking through Scarlet Sun once last time. He’d finally finished editing it last Friday, but he always liked to quickly skim back through to check any large paragraphs of text that didn’t seem to have any notes in case he’d missed something.

His office was strangely quiet with Bebe away for the day and he was waiting on some work from his colleagues to start with new projects, so being alone with no one to judge, he propped his feet up on the edge of his desk and started to read it again. He’d become so engrossed in the story, reading intently as Petra attended a magical botany lesson, that he didn’t hear his phone vibrate. Petra was his favourite part of the story – a kind, yet strong young woman who was incredibly intelligent, fiercely loyal, and powerful. He’d loved watching the character develop, an amazing woman lead in a world full of dominating men, both in the series and reality. He was jerked out of his reading as his phone vibrated again, grinning to himself when he saw the familiar name and emojis on his screen.

1:24pm

**Do you want to hear a joke?**

1:26pm

**I promise it’s a good one**

1:27pm

_I doubt it, but bring it on_

1:28pm

**Why didn’t the flower get a second date?**

Louis stomach twisted until he realised he’d already been on a second date with Harry, he had nothing to worry about. “It’s just a joke, Tomlinson, for fucks sake,” he muttered under his breath as he replied.

1:28pm

_Why?_

1:29pm

**Because he was garden variety. Get it? _Garden variety_**

Louis groaned, fondness still evident in his tone as he slumped back in his chair.

1:30pm

_Is this your way of letting me down gently?_

1:31pm

**We’ve already been on a second date, you idiot**

**And you’re not garden variety. You’re a field of wildflowers in the middle of a barren desert**

Louis exhaled loudly through his nose, his heart beating wildly in his chest as he went to reply but dropped his phone onto the manuscript below. He froze suddenly, slowly picking up his phone as he read the words underneath for what felt like the first time.

_…the spell was used to make the plants last longer…_

_…Petra pulled her wand free with a triumphant cry where it had fallen into a pile of sticks, easily blending in…_

He threw his phone back down as he quickly turned pages to where he’d marked them for being too familiar. He’d assumed it was because he’d read it before, but now everything seemed to be coming together in his head. It wasn’t because he’d read it; it was because he’d _experienced_ it, talked about it, seen it.

He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, chewing thoughtfully on the lid attached to the bottom before writing the heading with shaking fingers, and then he wrote, and wrote, and wrote until the page was filled with dot points, memories and conversations stretched out alongside comparisons of the series Louis had lovingly thrown himself into. Before he knew it, it’d been an hour and a half, and the pen fell from between his fingers with a rough clatter as clarity slammed into him.

With a deep breath, in and out, Louis opened Google on his desktop and finally searched for what he’d been putting off; ‘moonflower plant’. There were over a billion results, so Louis scrolled slightly until he had an article about caring for it and how to grow one. As he read through the article, his suspicions about the climbing vine were confirmed; not only had it grown much too quickly in such a short amount of time, but they needed regular watering and almost full exposure to sun. Louis sighed and buried his head in his hands – obviously the plant sitting on the floor of flat that he’d remembered to water once had gotten some extra help from somewhere.

It all seemed to make sense, right? All the small, weird instances where unexplainable things had happened, the fact he could almost feel Harry’s presence as a tangible motion in a room, when Harry had reacted so strangely to Louis’ mention of magic being real.

Louis shook his head slowly, lowering his head down to hit his desk with a thud. Was he actually being serious? Was he going insane with no one in the office to keep him company? Louis scoffed, sitting up again and laughing to himself as he realised he’d somehow tried to come to the conclusion that Harry was a wizard, warlock, or at least magical in some way.

“Fuck’s sake, Tomlinson,” he sighed out, reaching for his jacket to put it on as he stood, slipping his hand into the pockets to make sure he had a cigarette, “not everything’s like a bloody fantasy novel.”

He silently made his way downstairs, lighting up as soon as he got outside, moving to the smoker’s area as he inhaled deeply to let the nicotine flow through his system. He instantly felt calmer, the smoke and being outside combining to help him relax.

He could still feel his heart pounding in his chest from his ‘revelation’, but he realised something. He hadn’t cared. Even when he’d thought it was possible, he hadn’t cared enough to stop him from wanting Harry. The thought made him wary as he finished his cigarette, that all he could feel was affection and warmth towards him, and he knew that would stay regardless of any secrets that might come out, whether they were as inconceivable as wizardry or not. As he wandered back upstairs and sat back down, he picked up the list to shred it.

Louis jumped in his seat as Steve walked into his office with a loud greeting. “Hey Louis, what are you working on?”

He scrambled quickly to shove the list under the notebook on his desk; Harry’s secret wasn’t his to tell. “Ah, just some research mate,” he smiled, but he knew it was strained when Steve looked at him curiously.

“Thought I saw Harry’s name on that,” Steve smirked, nodding towards where the hidden paper was, “how’s that going, by the way?”

Louis felt his face soften, smiling down at his hands before he answered. “Brilliant. Everything with him is brilliant,” Louis looked at him quickly, his face flushing. “I’m falling in love with him, I think.”

Steve raised his eyebrows, but his expression was gentle. “You think?”

“I know. I know I’m falling in love with him,” he corrected, his eyebrows knitting together as he said it out loud for the first time.

“That’s great news, Louis,” Steve responded quietly, moving to perch on the edge of Louis’ desk, “why do you look so down about it?”

He shifted awkwardly in his chair before slumping forward to rest more heavily on his desk. “I’m scared,” he admitted, “I’m not scared of Harry obviously, just…I feel _so much_ when I’m with him, you know? I don’t think it’s normal.”

“That’s the best part about it, mate,” Steve said with a chuckle, causing Louis to look up when he clapped him on the shoulder, “of course it’s scary. It’s terrifying, and nerve wracking, and causes everyone to second guess themselves, but it’s all worth it. Is Harry worth it?”

Everything flashed through Louis’ brain at once; images of Harry laughing, the way he looked when he smiled down at Louis, the way he made Louis feel safe and wanted and loved, how he blushed when Louis tucked a curl behind his ear, how sweet he was, the stunning bouquets he made, the way he’d woken up Louis with his lips and hands on Sunday before making him feel in a way he’d never felt with anyone else. There were other moments too; Harry awkwardly stuttering through a story about an owl, him looking at Louis with wide eyes, a thin piece of wood between them that’d been pulled from Harry’s hair, Harry stumbling every chance he got, the way he lit up around his friends, and suddenly everything was moving too quickly and imploding into a single point behind his eyes. _Is Harry worth it?_

“Absolutely. Without a doubt. He’s worth everything.”

Steve nodded slowly, grinning at him slyly. “Well then. I’d say you don’t have anything to worry about, do you?” he asked rhetorically as he stood and moved towards the door before he paused on the way out. “Oh, don’t forget to pack tonight. I’ll pick you up for the airport tomorrow morning at about 6, alright?”

Louis looked at him in confusion as he picked up his phone. “For what?”

“The conference, Louis. The conference in Chicago that we’ve had booked for months? The ACES one?” Steve sighed, shaking his head, “you forgot, didn’t you?”

In amongst everything else, Louis _had_ forgotten about the five day trip coming up with Bebe and Steve. “Um…no?” he answered weakly, a small smile on his face.

“You’re coming either way Tomlinson, so I’ll see you in the morning.”

Louis sighed as Steve left, picking up his phone and calling Harry before he’d even given it any thought. Harry answered on the second ring, and Louis’ body felt lighter when he heard his deep voice through the phone.

_“Lou? Are you okay?”_

Louis’ eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “Of course, love. I just – ” Louis paused for a moment before charging on, “wanted to hear your voice. Is that…okay?” He’d never considered that Harry would think it weird, as he chewed nervously on the side of his thumb while he waited.

 _“Of course it’s okay, you beautiful boy.”_ Louis felt the air leave him in a rush, and. Well. That was interesting. He filed it away for later. _“You just never wrote back to my message earlier, and we’ve never spoken on the phone before.”_

“Oh, I didn’t realise. I’m so sorry, I got distracted. How’s your day been?” he asked as he could hear Harry moving around, Ed and Nick’s voices in the background.

_“Good! We got a massive order from Ho – a customer of ours, so we’re just rushing to finish it up. How’s your day been?”_

“I’m sorry Haz, if you’re busy I’ll just – ”

 _“Sunshine. I want nothing more than to talk to you. So, how’s your day been?”_ Louis could hear the smile in Harry’s voice, and it helped ease his mind.

“It’s been,” his eyes fell to his desk drawer, “productive. I should tell you though, I won’t be in this week. I have to go to a conference in Chicago and I won’t be back until late Sunday night.” He closed his eyes, a soft smile on his voice at the wounded noise Harry let out.

_“Oh okay. I mean, I’m happy you get to go, but I’m sad I won’t see you. I – I’ll miss you. Wait, is that too soon? I’m sorry, I mean - ”_

Louis’ heart jumped and then settled in his throat as he interrupted. “I’ll miss you too, darling.” He heard Harry make a happy noise on the other end and grinned down at his desk.

After they chatted for another five or so minutes before Nick dragged Harry away, Louis hung up the phone with his mind definitely made up. He was being absurd; too many re reads of Scarlet Sun and a love of the magical realm had turned into a weird conspiracy theory and wishful thinking. He’d let the strange pull he felt for Harry confuse him. He still almost felt like Harry had been sent to him from somewhere, from someone who finally was letting him have something good in his life. He wanted to be with him so desperately it made him ache; the man who’d completely stolen his heart when he didn’t even realise it was happening, the man who made him laugh until he cried, who was kind and thoughtful to everyone who met, who was so beautiful that Louis didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky.

He’d just have to read some non fiction for a little while, that’s all.

*****

“What’s gotten you so melancholy on this fine Wednesday afternoon, Styles?” Nick’s voice cracked through the air like a whip, interrupting Harry’s thoughts on the way that Louis had whimpered his name Sunday morning as he came down Harry’s throat.

“Nothing,” he mumbled, a careful summoning charm making two vases of peonies land in his hands with a soft thwack.

“Oh? So it has nothing to do with Louis not coming in today?” Nick asked, his voice light and breezy but underlined with caution as he organised the asphodel and dittany to be delivered to Hogwarts. “It’s almost 5 – is everything okay?”

“Yeah, he’s just away at a conference in Chicago until Sunday,” Harry sighed, wandering out into the shop with Nick hot on his heels, “s’weird not seeing him.”

Nick scoffed as he helped Harry rearrange the display slightly. “As if you haven’t been messaging him non-step since he left,” he pointed an accusing finger at Harry, “I’ve heard your phone buzzing every 10 minutes.”

Harry grinned sheepishly, a blush rising to his cheeks as he went to stand back behind the counter, when the bell above the door chimed as someone came through the door. Harry was suddenly filled with a rush of hope, had been every time today when the door opened even though he knew it was futile, but he wasn’t as disappointed as he had been every other time as he swung around to see Liam standing in the doorway with a warm grin.

“Liam! How are you?” Harry asked with a matching smile, moving forward to shake Liam’s hand. His grip was warm and strong, and Harry noticed the intricate tattoos on his hands, surprised he hadn’t noticed them last time. He had been distracted, though.

“Hey Harry, I’m great thanks,” he replied as he moved further into the shop, looking around with a happy expression, “love the shop mate, it’s brilliant.”

Harry couldn’t help but follow his gaze, letting himself take in the shop even though he saw it almost every day. He was so proud of it, of everything he’d accomplished, and it felt so much like home. “Thank you,” he said sincerely, “what brings you to see us today?”

“Tommo sent me, actually. He still needs flowers for his mum whether he’s here or not, so,” Liam shrugged, looking closely at the peonies, “I’m gonna take them to her later. Louis loves these, I’m pretty sure,” he mused, pointing at the open, pale pink blooms.

“That’s really nice of you,” Harry said as he gathered up the vase he’d just set down, “are you close with his mum too?” He moved around quickly, gathering more flowers to put in the bouquet.

Liam answered simply as he watched Harry rush around the room, an amused smile on his face. “Yeah, it’s basically impossible to know Jay and not be close to her, you know. Does he talk about her a lot?”

Harry hummed in response as he moved back to the counter and started putting everything together. “Oh, loads. She sounds brilliant,” he answered honestly, and when he looked back up at Liam, he found him watching Harry with a wide grin, “he seems close with her.”

“Yeah, he’s a real mummy’s boy, honestly. She’s bloody wonderful though, so it makes sense,” Liam smiled at Harry fondly, and he help but think he was a bit like a puppy. _Well, maybe a rugged puppy._ “That looks amazing; I’d love to know how you get them to last so long, or how that bloody plant of his is even growing! Seriously mate, it’s almost taking up his whole living room by now.” Liam chuckled, but the sound Harry made in return sounded strained even to him.

“Maybe it just needed a change of scenery,” Harry laughed weakly, finishing the bouquet and tying a white ribbon around it.

After Liam had paid and left with a cheery wave and the promise that they’d all hang out soon, Harry flipped the sign on the door to ‘closed’ and _accio-_ ed a small, fat, cylindrical vase to the shop and into his open palm. With a whispered _augumenti_ , it was filled with water, and Harry carefully arranged a bunch of the peonies into it until they were dense and gorgeous, and he couldn’t really see the glass underneath anymore.

He quickly wrote a brief note, sliding it in to rest between the flowers, and before he could second guess himself, he closed his eyes, concentrated on the hotel he knew Louis was staying at, and whispered a modified vanishing spell to send the vase to the reception desk. He figured that way, they’d either deliver them to Louis’ door or call him to come down and get them. Harry needed Louis to know he was still thinking of him, that every flower he’d ordered had reminded Harry of him.

Harry yelped as Nick suddenly appeared beside him. “Can we go now?” he whined, leaning heavily against Harry as Adam chuckled from the doorway.

“Okay, you lump. Let’s go.”

*******

Louis yawned as he waved good night to Steve and Bebe and headed into his hotel room. He was so exhausted from the full day at the conference and flying always left him feeling a little wrecked for a couple of days. The first day of the conference had been brilliant, incredible workshops and speakers, but a full day of listening to people talk was tiring. They’d been invited to dinner afterwards, the three of them and some people from New York that they’d met during the day, but Steve had seen the hesitation in Louis’ exhausted eyes and sent him back to his room with a soft smile. He shuffled into the room, kicked his shoes off, toed his socks off, and shook his suit jacket down his arms before hanging it in the wardrobe. He chanced a quick glance around the room as he undid his trousers and folded them neatly. The room was spacious, especially considering it was just for Louis. There was a double bed, a desk and chair, a small coffee table, couch, and TV. There were two bed side tables, a gorgeous vase of peonies sitting on one of them, and suddenly Louis’ mood brightened. He moved over to the flowers, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it down his arms before throwing it haphazardly on the floor, leaving him in just his pants.

He leant down with a smile, the scent wafting up to hit him in the face. He loved peonies. They reminded him of his nan’s house, where she’d always have a vase of them when they were in season. The smell alone bought back so many lovely memories that Louis almost missed the small, white piece of card tucked in the arrangement. He took it out with careful fingers, assuming it was a business card of some sort, when the message on it made his eyes widen almost comically.

_Sunshine,_

_Just a little something to let you know I’m thinking of you. Always._

_Yours,_

_Bambi xx_

He choked out a small sob and clutched the card to his chest. God, he was so tired and emotional, and Harry had sent him _flowers._ No one had ever sent Louis flowers before, none of his previous boyfriends, and his heart seemed to swell in his chest as he fell even faster for Harry, head over heels into something that he was more than ready for. He froze when he realised he’d just called Harry his boyfriend in his head but realised that’s what he saw him as. He’d gone from ‘guy he was seeing’ to ‘boyfriend’ so quickly and easily in Louis’ head that he hadn’t even noticed. He needed to talk to him when he got back to London.

He sat heavily on the edge of the bed, sliding the card carefully into his wallet that he’d thrown on the bed side table, before picking up the vase with both hands and burying his face into the flowers. He pulled away briefly to find his phone before opening up his camera and taking a selfie with his nose buried in the peonies, his eyes flicking up to look at the camera under his lashes. He smirked slightly as he looked at it; he knew Harry got a bit desperate when he looked like that, so with a smile on his face, he attached it to a message and sent it to him.

5:42pm

_You are so wonderful. I love them. Thank you, Harry._

5:45pm

**You’re so welcome. You deserve them every day. I couldn’t stop thinking of you, and just wanted you to know.**

**You look incredible, by the way.**

**What are you doing now?**

Louis grinned, throwing himself down on the bed on his stomach.

5:46pm

_I’m just in my room. It took me about two minutes to get undressed when I got here, it’s been such a long day._

5:47pm

**I’m sorry you’ve had a long day, Lou. Is there anything I can do to help you relax?**

**Also, does that mean you’re naked right now?**

5:48pm

_Not quite naked, love. I still have pants on._

No sooner than five seconds after the message sent, Louis’ phone was ringing with a Skype call. He answered it with a smile, resting his weight on his elbows as he propped himself up. “Hi love.”

_“Lou. I – I thought maybe I could help you relax a little bit, if you wanted.”_

“I’m much more relaxed already, talking to you,” Louis replied innocently. He hadn’t had phone sex in such a long time, and even though this had seemingly come from nowhere, he felt himself twitch in his briefs at the thought. It was obvious where Harry was going with his; his already slow drawl had dropped even lower, and Louis’ body came alight with anticipation. He rolled over onto his back, resting his head on his pillow and running his hand slowly down his chest. “We’ve been talking all day, and you’ve kept me sane, as well as sent me gorgeous flowers. What could you possibly do now that would make me feel any better than you already have?”

_“Depends. I can’t do anything I want to do from here.” His voice was tentative and slightly shy, and Louis didn’t want that._

“Oh yeah? And what do you want to do, Haz?” Louis’ breathed out, his fingertips trailing along his ribs as he teased himself, “tell me.”

Louis could hear Harry’s sharp intake of breath before he spoke so softly that Louis had to strain to hear him _. “Are you sure this is okay?”_

His heart softened, and he answered as quickly as possible. “More than okay, love.” Harry answered instantly.

_“The first thing I’d do is kiss you. Love kissing you, Lou. Love it when your breath hitches, love how you arch into me when I grip your waist.”_

Louis shuddered, closing his eyes so he could imagine everything Harry was saying. “More Haz, please.”

 _“I’d kiss down your neck, across your chest, mark you up so everyone knows you’re mine. Want to kiss you everywhere, can’t wait to eat you out.”_ Louis heard Harry take a sharp inhale and instantly knew he hadn’t meant to let it slip. Judging by how hard he was now though, Louis was more than happy with the slight change of direction.

“Yeah, darling? You wanna eat me out? Want to make me come from just your tongue?” Louis ran his hand down to palm himself over his pants before pushing them down just enough to free his achingly hard cock. “God, need to feel your mouth on me.”

Harry groaned, and Louis could hear a shuffling in the background as he wriggled around to get comfortable. _“Been dreaming about it. You have the best arse I’ve ever seen, Lou. If I was with you, I’d put you on your hands and knees and lick you until you were crying.”_

Louis moaned as he wrapped his hand around himself, stroking slowly and running his thumb over the head to gather the precum there. He moaned again and heard Harry’s breathing turn ragged at the sound. “Want to ride your face – _fuck_ – while I suck you,” Louis managed to get out as his hand tightened, his fist moving quicker and sending waves of pleasure through his body, “then I want you to open me up properly and let me ride your cock.”

“ _Shit Louis, want you so much, can’t wait to be inside you,”_ Harry was panting now, and Louis wondered how turned on he was before he initiated this, “ _just know you’d feel incredible around me, all hot and wet and tight – baby, want to hear you come.”_

Louis sped up his strokes, tightening his fist at the head on every upstroke. He was close, _too_ close considering they’d hardly even done anything, but he didn’t even care. “You’re so big, want to feel you split me open, fuck me so hard I can’t think of anything but you for days,” Louis whined out, feeling his orgasm tightening his whole body, “I’m close Haz, _please_.”

_“Imagined fucking you today, bent over my bathroom sink, watching ourselves in the mirror. Know you’ll look incredible with my cock inside you, want to watch myself slide in and out of your tight little hole, spank you until your arse turns red from it.”_

Just like that, Louis was coming with a shout, his body lifting off the mattress as streaks of white covered his stomach and chest. “Oh, _oh_ , _Harry._ ”

 _“You sound so good, Lou, I – I’m going to – ah, Louis.”_ Louis responded with a whine, still coming down from his own high as he heard Harry fall apart. For a moment, there was only heavy breathing until Louis let out a small giggle.

“Amazing, darling,” he said, stretching across the bed to the tissues on the other side. He wiped himself down quickly, knowing he’d be having a shower soon anyway. “You know you’re a bit filthy, right?”

Harry let out a tired laugh. _“Sorry baby, I didn’t mean to be quite so graphic at the end. That was brilliant, though. Just what I needed.”_ Louis laughed as he heard Harry yawn before realising that with the time difference, Harry should be sleeping by now.

“Don’t apologise, love. Definitely what I needed, too. You should get some rest though,” Louis frowned slightly; he always hated saying good bye to Harry.

_“Please don’t be offended, but I’m definitely about to fall asleep.”_

“Go to sleep, Haz. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Louis smiled fondly as Harry grunted, obviously close to falling asleep already, “thank you for the flowers, again. And the orgasm, of course,” he added, smirking.

 _“Anytime, sweetheart,”_ Louis’ heart leapt at the pet name as Harry’s voice slowed down even more than usual, _“for both. ‘m just glad the front desk made sure they got to you.”_ And then with a soft snore, Louis realised he’s literally just fallen asleep. On the phone.

“Good night, love,” he whispered, even though he knew he couldn’t hear him. He hung up the phone before getting up to have a shower, crawling back into bed half an hour later and sleeping until morning.

*****

The conference was educational but brutal, and Louis was more than happy to be heading back home. When he was checking out of the hotel on Saturday, he thanked the girl behind the desk for putting the flowers in his room earlier in the week. She looked at him, a confused expression on her face, before pulling out a small notepad.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Tomlinson, but we don’t have any record of receiving a package here for you at all. Are you saying someone managed to put something in your room without a key?” she looked alarmed, and Louis rushed to reassure her.

“Oh, don’t worry love, I’m sure it was someone else then,” he smiled at her as she seemed to relax, “thank you for the lovely stay.”

With the vase emptied and wrapped in various pieces of clothing so it wouldn’t break, and the flowers nestled safely in his carry on, Louis walked out of the hotel with a grin, deciding that he could just chalk it up to another one of those weird, unexplainable moments he’d gotten so used to.

And if the flowers were absolutely pristine when he pulled them out at home in London, not a single bruise or mark on any of the petals, Louis definitely didn’t know enough about flowers to realise how strange it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	7. Trick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick talks, Louis wants, and everything falls apart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be aware there is an anxiety attack at the end of this chapter.

Harry grinned when he walked into the back room after serving a middle aged man who had been looking for something for his daughter's birthday. The green trick had arrived with his usual Monday order, and it always filled him with happiness, the small, fluffy, pom poms always seeming to brighten a room. With a flick of his wand, three buckets flew up to the bench and settled carefully on the wood. Harry made sure the bell was connected to the front door, pulled up a chair, and pulled out the first bunch to strip. He was the only one in the muggle section of the shop today. Mitch and Sarah had somehow come down with a stomach bug that no potions had fixed yet, and Ed was out all day doing deliveries and installations, which really only left Adam and –

“Oh, you’re all lonely up here,” thin fingers tugged at Harry’s hair, his head slipping back slightly as he squealed in surprise, “why didn’t you say so? I would’ve come up and kept you company.” Nick plopped himself down on a stool, crossing his legs and leaning forward with a grin on his face.

Harry rolled his eyes, keeping his gaze on the stems in front of him, but a small smile crept onto his face. “Did you ever think that’s why I didn’t tell you?”

“Excuse you! I’m delightful, everyone thinks so,” Nick huffed.

Harry continued to clear the trick of their lower leaves, the soothing action distracting his mind every time it tried to jump back to Louis. “Your mum doesn’t count, Grimshaw.” He suddenly felt the gentle prick of a small stinging jinx and yelped, raising his head up to glare at Nick across the surface.

“Don’t be rude, Styles,” Nick replied haughtily, a smug look on his face as he pocketed his wand, “my date on Saturday seemed to think I was delightful as well. Told me so when he left my place yesterday morning.”

“It hardly counts if sex is involved,” Harry laughed out, casting another spell to organise the trick into a neat pile, “also, I’m sure he was just _pretending_ to be delighted.”

Nick let out an indignant sound, and Harry chuckled at the expression on his face. “Oi! Just because you seem to have found the love of your life, doesn’t mean we all have,” Nick’s tone was gentle at the exclamation, so Harry figured he couldn’t be too mad about it, “is that still moving along swimmingly? You didn’t die of loneliness in the five days he was gone?”

Harry threw one of the heads at him that had broken off the stem. “I wasn’t lonely when he was gone, thank you very much. You were still annoyingly present, as usual.”

“Ah, so the moping around and constant messages were related to a different scenario, I take it?”

“Do fuck off, Grimshaw,” Harry answered cheerily, “can’t you just be happy for me?” He looked up to grin at Nick, but when the smile he received back didn’t quite reach Nick’s eyes, he put down the trick he was holding and faced his friend properly. “Is everything okay?”

Nick sighed and moved his stool around the table to sit next to Harry, sitting up straight and knocking their knees together under the table. “Everything’s fine, Harry. I just – ,” he sighed, running his fingers through his hair as Harry watched in concern, “I’m just worried about you, darling.” Harry opened his mouth to interrupt, already slightly frustrated at an opinion of Louis that he hadn’t even heard yet, but Nick raised his hand to stop him. “This isn’t about Louis. Like, not who he is as a person or anything like that. You know I like him. He’s great, and I can see how happy you are.”

Harry frowned at Nick, turning his body to face him front on. “Then what’s the problem, Nick?”

“He’s a muggle. You’re a wizard. There’s so many complications in a relationship like that, and I don’t know if you completely understand them.”

He could feel it starting from his ears and spreading through his body, the red hot flush that came whenever he got angry. “Are you fucking serious? I know you’re a pureblood, mate, but this is beyond ANYTHING- ”

Nick rushed to stop him, a slightly hurt look on his face. “No, Merlin no, that’s not it! This is _not_ a blood status thing, Styles! You know I don’t give a fuck about that.”

“Your parents do,” Harry mumbled back bitterly.

Nick’s family were the definition of a cliché traditional pureblood; high society Slytherins, surrounded by wealth, who looked down on those who weren’t ‘pure’. It was disgusting, and Harry hated everything about it. The only time they’d ever spoken to him was to ask what his last name was, and when Harry had answered and they hadn’t recognised the name, he’d told them he was muggleborn. They’d simply turned away from him and left the room, taking Nick with them, and after hearing voices that got angrier the longer they were gone, Nick appeared suddenly and apparated them away without another word. Harry hadn’t been back since, and he knew Nick rarely saw them, but he knew enough about the wizarding world to know that type of belief was deeply ingrained from a young age. Nick seemed to be the exception to the rule, and as he’d told Harry one night after a few too many drinks in Hogsmeade, _‘I’m just lucky they didn’t disown me when they found out I was gay. They could have, you know. No pureblood poofs, apparently’_. He’d broken down in a booth at the Three Broomsticks and Harry had reassured him that his parents were the lucky ones to have such a brilliant son. He firmly believed it, and hoped Nick knew too.

“I know they do, H,” Nick said quietly, a gentle hand coming up to touch Harry’s forearm, “but you know I’ve never been like that. I just want you to be cautious; there’s been so many instances in the past where beautiful relationships have been fucked over by the rules. I’ve heard too many stories about it, and I care about you way too much to not be worried.”

“Tell me an example,” Harry demanded softly. He knew that there were rules and laws around muggles but didn’t have enough experience or knowledge to know what to do. He realised now that he probably should’ve researched it at least a little by this point.

“I don’t think that’s such a – ,” Nick tried to explain, but Harry cut him off.

“Nick. Please.”

“It won’t _help_ , Harry, it’ll just scare you and –  ,” Nick kept trying to backpedal, but Harry needed to know.

He sighed, pushing his curls back and twisting them slightly at the ends out of nerves. “If there could be anything that’ll impact my relationship with Louis, I need to hear it.” Nick shook his head and sighed, but Harry could see that the resigned look in his eyes.

“Fine,” he pushed out a large puff of air and turned forward to look straight ahead. “One of my parent’s best friends fell in love with a muggle not long after they left Hogwarts. He was a pureblood, in Slytherin with mum and dad,” Harry raised his eyebrows at the comments, and Nick looked at him with a small smile, “I know! Scandalous at the time, apparently. Still so, in the wrong circles. Anyway, he was young and in love, he wasn’t thinking properly, and his family had just thrown him out in the street. He went to see her, and he just blurted everything out, told her everything; about Hogwarts, magic, his family, even showed her his wand and some spells.”

Harry couldn’t help but gasp; even he knew that was a mistake. “He was young though, surely they could’ve just,” he paused to close his eyes and take a breath, “ _obliviated_ her.” Harry’s stomach churned at the phrase. There was something so dehumanising about taking someone’s memories, and it was one of his least favourite spells.

“Of course they could’ve,” Nick’s voice had taken on a harsh, sad tone, and Harry jolted back slightly, “and of course they did. But that wasn’t all.” He sighed again, his hands fiddling in his lap until Harry put a calming hand of his own to cover both. “He got put on trial for telling her ‘too early’,” Nick explained with air quotes, “and he was found guilty and sent to Azkaban.” Nick turned to look at him with wide, sad eyes. “ _Azkaban_ , H. She was never quite the same either, apparently. Memory charms aren’t good for muggles.”

“What do you mean too early?” Harry asked, his hand trembling slightly, “is there a set amount of time?”

Nick shook his head before answering. “Apparently not. I think most wizards just wait until it’s absolutely necessary, and in this instance it wasn’t.”

“He was 17, Nick! In what universe is that ever okay?”

“I don’t agree with it at all, Harry! This isn’t me attacking Louis or the muggle world, rather me calling out the bullshit that still exists within the wizarding community and purebloods!” Nick exclaimed, and Harry backed off slightly. It was obvious to see how much he hated the story as well. “I know it’s awful, and I hate it, and I hate being a pureblood _so much_ sometimes because that’s what’s expected of me, this kind of bullshit,” Nick spat out, “but can’t you see why I’m worried about you? I don’t ever want this to happen to you, but to be with Louis will mean you’ll have to hide such a big part of who you are.”

“Magic doesn’t make me who I am, Nick,” Harry said softly.

“You’re so proud of who you are, Harry, of _everything_ you are, and you fucking should be,” Nick couldn’t seem to stop, “ _I’m_ so proud of who you are, and how you never apologise for being the best you can be, but magic is still a part of you. You should never feel like you have to hide any part of what makes you, you.” Harry stayed silent while Nick seemed to gather his thoughts. “I just want what’s best for you, that’s all. I’m worried you’ll fall in love with him and get hurt because you’re the worst secret keeper of all time.”

“Heyyyyy,” Harry pouted, smiling when he saw a small smirk on Nick’s face. There was silence for a while as Harry took everything in. “I’m already in love with him.”

To his credit, Nick didn’t even look slightly surprised, just looked at Harry with a wry grin. “I’m not surprised. He’s really found a way to get under your skin, huh.”

“I’ve never met anyone like him,” Harry admitted softly, “you know how you hear about love in stories and everything? How when you find the right person, you just _know_?” Harry watched Nick as he nodded slowly, “I just know, Nick. I _know_ it’s Louis. I can feel it, bone deep. He makes me feel like I can do anything I want, like I’m someone who deserves good things. When he touches me, I just - it’s like a constant warmth flowing through. It’s like my magic recognises him. I don’t even know how that’s possible! I keep doing weird thing around him, like the tea reheating, or the moonflower I gave him, and I know he’s a muggle but why should that matter? I love him, Nick.”

Nick stared at him before he sighed, reaching up to wrap his arm around Harry’s shoulders and pull him into his body. “Harry. I just want you to be careful and know all the risks,” he pulled back to look Harry directly in the eyes, “you have to figure out if it’s worth giving up such a large part of yourself for an indefinite amount of time.”

Harry’s stomach twisted as he swallowed against a wave of nausea. He’d never been able to handle stress well, and despite what he knew he felt for Louis, he could feel it building up already. He’d spent so much time already hiding away who he was in his youth, slamming himself into a closet as he tried to repress his sexuality. He didn’t know if he could go through hiding such a big secret again.

As Nick pressed a messy kiss to his cheek and ran downstairs to Adam’s call for help, Harry conjured himself a cup of coffee and sat with his hands wrapped around it, staring at the wood of the table beneath.

Was he ready to hide himself away again?

******

8:10am

_Avocados - yay or nay?_

Harry looked down at his phone in slight confusion, a smile creeping onto his face as he went to reply. Suddenly, he was hit by a wave of anxiety that caused him to drop his phone and bury his head in his hands. Ever since he’d spoken to Nick two days ago, he hadn’t been able to get the thoughts out of his head. It was a constant warring between telling himself that Nick was right and maybe this wouldn’t be good for either of them in the long run, or just telling himself he was being fucking ridiculous and that nothing should stop him from loving Louis.

He'd been messaging Louis consistently still though, the warm and positive feelings rising up whenever he got a message from the other man to quash the lingering feelings of doubt. Just as he picked up his phone to text him back, Ed spoke up from his position across the table.

“Alright, mate?”

Harry quickly tapped send on a message to Louis that just consisted of a simple yay and avocado emoji before looking up to see Ed watching him, a concerned look on his face. “Yeah I’m alright, thanks Ed,” he replied, flashing him a quick smile that he knew Ed saw straight through. As expected, Ed raised an eyebrow at him and put down his wand from where he was charming ribbon to wrap in long, gorgeous bows around bridal party flowers for a wedding on Friday.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I know Niall’s been busy with his shop, but I’m always here,” Ed smiled softly at him. Harry was always so grateful to have Ed in his life, and he felt full of affection for the ginger-haired man opposite him. He returned his smile easily and turned all of his attention to Ed.

“Thanks, mate. I’m just – it’s a bit stressful to keep hiding my magic from Louis, you know?” he sighed out, fiddling with his rings as he looked down at his hands, “and what if it’s _always_ going to be like this? What if he hates me if he finds out? Lying to him isn’t helping either of us,” Harry blurted out, his fingers twisting together in worry.

Ed made a small noise in the back of his throat. “Where did this come from? Wizards date muggles all the time, Haz.”

“I know, I know,” Harry exhaled loudly, the rush of air pushing his hair slightly where it had fallen into his face, “but it doesn’t always work out, does it? I’m already in too deep, and I should’ve thought of this earlier, but I didn’t,” he groaned just as Ed clapped him on the shoulder.

“Harry,” he turned to look at Ed, startled slightly he grasped both of Harry’s shoulders, “relationships can break down for an infinite number of reasons. You never know if something’s going to work out before you go into it; why is this one any different?” Ed stopped Harry as he opened his mouth to answer. “I know he’s a muggle, Harry, but if you take that away, take away the fact you’re a wizard so you’re just a man in love, what would be stopping you?”

Harry stopped for a moment to think. The answer was nothing; nothing would stop him from being with Louis. He told Ed as much before adding, “but it doesn’t change the facts, does it? It’s fine to look at the hypotheticals, but it’s too big to pretend it’s not there.”

Ed hummed nonchalantly, before squeezing Harry’s shoulders and moving back to his wand, flicking his wrist. Harry watched as the ribbon unfurled from where it had gathered on the surface. “Stop talking to Nick about it, at least until you figure it out. He means well, but his family isn’t the best judge, mate,” Ed seemed to ignore Harry’s surprised inhale and moved on, “I know he’s not like that, but it’s hard to know what motives they have for telling him these stories, innit? Just be with Louis. He makes you so happy, Haz.”

“Yeah he does,” Harry grinned, looking down to see a new message from Louis that was just the vomit emoji, “how’d you know I’d been talking to Nick?”

“Ah, not hard to figure out,” Ed replied, avoiding the question.

Harry decided to let it go; Ed could be a mysterious prick when he wanted to be. With his mind stuck on Louis, Harry slowly set up the shop before he realised it was time to open. As he flicked his wrist, continuing to move stock around while the shop came to life around him, he heard the front door open as soon as it was unlocked. He smiled, arranging the trick in a soft arrangement before he spoke. “You’ve never been quite so on time before, baby.”

“We didn’t know we had a time limit, _honey.”_

Harry spun around in shock, his hand clutching his chest as his heart beat wildly. He came face to face with two people he hadn’t seen in _way_ too long. He beamed and stepped forward, opening his arms as he moved. “Mum, Gems!” He pressed a kiss to their cheeks and hugged them both tightly, laughing when Gemma squeezed him too hard. “What are you doing here?”

Anne answered, one hand coming up to tug on the sleeve of Harry’s shirt. “We both have a day off and thought we’d pop in – it’s been a while since we’ve been here! It’s lovely, truly,” she gushed, patting Harry’s cheek gently when he blushed.

“Thanks mum. It’s so lovely to see you both.”

“Even if it wasn’t us you were expecting, hey little brother?” Gemma said with a smirk on her face as she wandered around the shop, “so who _were_ you expecting then? Is there a new man in your life?”

Harry spluttered for a moment, his gaze swinging wildly between his sister’s smug expression and his mum’s gentle gaze before he realised there was no point in lying. He groaned, his limbs flailing slightly as he turned to look at Anne. “Fine. Yes, I’ve been seeing someone. His name’s Louis, he’s absolutely brilliant, he’s a muggle, and we’re not official or anything so don’t say anything if he comes in while you’re still here,” Harry begged, “he should be in within the next five or so minutes; he buys flowers for his mum every week.”

As Anne cooed and said how sweet that was, Gemma cut her off. “That is lovely, but in this scenario,” she paused, turning to raise her eyebrows at Harry, “surely that’s not what you mean by seeing each other. Are you only dating in your imagination?”

“No!” Harry shot back, rolling his eyes, “we’re actually dating, honestly Gemma. You’re the worst.” Just as Harry braced himself for a retort, he heard the door swing open and that soft, high voice ring out.

“Hi Bambi, I bought you breakfast! You never seem to have time to eat on Wednesday’s, so I thought – ” Harry swivelled around just in time to see Louis freeze, two takeaway cups in a tray in one hand, a paper bag in the other as he took in Harry’s family, “oh I’m so sorry, I’ll just wait.” Harry’s heart stuttered at the soft smile Louis sent to him before he wandered into a different corner of the shop. He looked back to Anne and Gemma to find them staring at him, nodding their heads towards Louis and pointing to themselves.

“No _way_ ,” he hissed out, cautious of how close Louis was, “I’m not scaring him off by introducing him to my _sister_ and my _mum_ when he’s not even my boyfriend yet!”

“Fine,” Gemma huffed, and Harry sighed with relief until she continued, “I’ll just introduce myself then.” He watched in horror as she called out Louis’ name, making him turn in surprise.

“Gemma I swear to fucking God,” he whispered harshly, his pulse skyrocketing as Louis came over with a bemused look on his face.

His mum tsked at him. “Harry, language please.”

“Hi!” Gemma said, extending her hand to Louis, who took it with a small smirk towards Harry, “I’m Gemma, Harry’s sister.” Harry watched, his face flushed in embarrassment as recognition seemed to dawn on Louis’ face, “and that’s our mum, Anne.”

“It’s lovely to meet you both,” Louis said politely, moving to rest the paper bag in the crook of his other elbow and stepping forward to shake both of their hands with a genuine smile on his face, “I’ve heard so much about you.” He stepped over to Harry, placed his hand on the small of his back, and reached up to place a gentle kiss to the corner of Harry’s mouth. “Good morning, love,” he murmured, making Harry feel a bit dizzy when his thumb stroked along the base of his spine, his fingers digging into his back slightly, “I bought you coffee and a breakfast muffin.”

Completely forgetting that his family were less than two metres away, Harry beamed down at him, lifting one hand to cup Louis’ cheek and bring him in for a longer kiss. The contrast between the softness of Louis’ lips and the gentle scratch of his stubble made Harry’s toes curl slightly. “Thank you, Sunshine,” he murmured back, his hand trailing down Louis’ arm to take the bag and coffee from him. Every worry that he’d had about Louis over the last few days melted away. “You’re a lifesaver.”

A staged cough broke their little bubble, and Harry watched as a deep blush travelled up Louis’ neck to settle on his cheeks. “We should be going,” Anne said, a small smile on her face as her eyes twinkled, “Harry love, call us when you’re on lunch,” she added, leaning forward to kiss his cheek before doing the same to Louis. He was still blushing when she pulled back, and Harry had to hide his grin in his shoulder. “It was great to meet you, love. Hopefully we’ll see more of you soon.”

Louis returned her smile easily and settled more comfortably into Harry’s side. “I hope so too,” he replied softly as he stepped forward again to kiss Gemma on the cheek. Harry’s heart was so full of affection that he thought it might burst. He wrapped his arm around Louis’ waist as his family left with a wave, pulling him into his chest as he reached back to put his breakfast on a shelf behind him.

“I’m so sorry, I had no idea they were coming, honestly they just showed up and I didn’t have time to message you and – ” soft lips pressed against his carefully. Harry sighed into Louis’ mouth, wrapping both arms around him as he felt gentle fingers tangle in his hair. His hands slid around Louis’ back to grip his hips as their tongues met, moaning as Louis ran a thumb along his jaw line before pulling back to run it over Harry’s bottom lip. He kissed it quickly before sucking it into his mouth, watching with restrained arousal as Louis’ eyes darkened slightly.

“You’re so cute when you ramble,” Louis grinned at him, “It’s completely fine, love. They seem wonderful,” he said, still smiling up at Harry.

“They are; they’ll probably interrogate me later,” he replied with a wry smile, pressing a chaste kiss to Louis’ lips before pulling back to tuck into his coffee and roll. His eyes followed Louis when he started to walk around the shop, running his hands over almost everything as Harry rolled his eyes affectionately.

“Oooh! These look like lil’ green hedgehogs!” Louis shouted happily, touching the green trick gently at first before almost wrapping his whole hand around it, “can you use these today? Please?” He looked up at Harry through his lashes. Harry groaned at the sight as Louis smirked, his hip cocking slightly. Harry was suddenly very aware that he hadn’t seen Louis in over a week, and all he could think about now was kissing him, touching him, tasting him, _fucking_ him. He shook his head to try and clear his mind.

“You know, it’s cheating when you use that look against me,” he said casually, placing the empty bag and half full cup on a shelf, moving closer to Louis and crowding into his space. He felt a slight surge of triumph when Louis whimpered slightly when their bodies pressed together. Harry tilted Louis chin up slightly to kiss him, pulling away when he heard him make a small noise. _Fuck_ he was gorgeous. “Of course I can use them, baby.” Harry moved even more into Louis’ space, watching as he closed his eyes and tilted his head up again, but his eyes snapped open when Harry just reached past him to grab the trick. He grinned at him, placed a kiss to the tip of his nose, and started to collect other stock to use in Louis’ arrangement for the day. He’d just moved to the counter when he felt strong hands grab his hips, and a solid, warm body pressed up against his back. He moaned quietly when he felt Louis half hard, pressed against his arse, and ground his hips back slightly.

“It’s not nice to tease, darling,” Louis purred in his ear, gently tugging his head to the side with a hand in his hair. Harry panted slightly as Louis nipped at the skin behind his ear before sucking on it gently. He closed his eyes when he felt a hand slide around to his stomach and slip under his shirt to toy with his jeans before everything suddenly vanished. Harry spun around to find Louis looking at him like he wanted to devour him where he stood, and his knees felt weak. He quickly ducked around to start the bouquet and calm his heart.

“Can I take you out again this weekend?” he asked Louis, voice still rough from how turned on he was, “Saturday night?”

Louis hadn’t taken his eyes off him, and Harry felt almost naked under the intense gaze. “Better make it Friday, gorgeous.”

“Why?” Harry couldn’t help but move forward across the counter as Louis beckoned him with his finger. Their noses brushed as Louis tucked a curl behind Harry’s ear before leaning to whisper, his breath hot as he spoke.

“Because there’s no way I’m letting you leave for the whole weekend once I get you to my place, and I want that extra day to make you fall apart even more.”

Harry groaned, turning his head quickly to catch Louis’ lips with his as he kissed him desperately, his hands coming up to fist in Louis’ shirt and haul him even closer.

It wasn’t until Louis left five minutes later with his flowers, a dazed but smug expression on his face and a small bruise on his jaw that Harry realised he’d forgotten to charm the bouquet.

“Fuck.”

******

Louis froze when he heard the buzzer go off, quickly fixing his fringe as he jogged to the speaker.

“Hello?”

_“Hiiii, it’s me!”_

Louis grinned, pressing the button to open the door. “Come up, love.” He heard the click of the door through the speaker, so he rushed around in a last minute fit to make sure everything was clean and organised. He eyed the closed door to his small study, biting his lip as he contemplated just leaving it open, when he saw the moonflower out of the corner of his eye.

It was massive now; it had wound its way up the table leg and was taking over the top of the table’s corner. Louis hurried to switch the dining room light off so Harry wouldn’t see it; he’d always acted strangely when Louis mentioned how much it had grown, no matter how casually. Just as he flicked the switch, there was a soft knock at the door. Louis took a deep breath, quickly looking down at his outfit to make sure he still looked okay, and then swung the door open.

The deep breath he’d just taken seemed obsolete now.

Harry was standing in front of him, staring at him with wide eyes, a bunch of the green pom pom flowers in his hand. Louis swallowed slowly, raking his eyes all the way down Harry’s body. His hair was down, soft ringlets sitting prettily around his face. His eyes were startingly green in the light, his lips pink and slightly swollen where it looked like he’d sunk his teeth down. The pearl white button up he was wearing was stunning against his skin, and Louis bit back a groan at the way the tight black jeans clung to Harry’s thighs. It took all of Louis’ strength not to pull him inside.

“You look stunning, Bambi,” Louis said softly, grinning at Harry as he blushed and looked down at his feet. He reached out to place his hand at the back of Harry’s head before he pulled him down gently to press their lips together. When he stepped back with a final peck, Harry thrust the flowers at him.

“These are for you,” he said as Louis took them with a wide grin, “you seemed to like them the other day.”

“Little hedgehogs,” Louis said happily as he moved back into his flat, looking around for something to put them in as he gestured for Harry to follow him. He frowned at his kitchen when he realised he didn’t have anything to put them in. He managed to find a water glass that he filled before gently placing them in, turning around to find Harry watching him with a soft smile. He reached out with grabby hands as Harry laughed and stepped into his space, pressing him into the counter slightly. Louis sighed and closed his eyes, feeling large, warm hands cup his face before their lips met. He wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck, loosely tangling his hands in Harry’s hair as he sucked on his bottom lip.

“Thank you for the flowers,” he said breathlessly as Harry left his mouth to trail his lips along Louis’ jawline before settling at the shell of his ear, pressing his body further into Louis’ to push him harder against the kitchen counter.

“You’re welcome, Sunshine,” Harry murmured, and Louis melted slightly at both the pet name and the feeling of Harry’s hand as it burned a searing path down his waist, skimming over his arse to grip his thigh and wrap it around his waist. He tightened his grip in his hair and whined when Harry used the leverage to grind forward slightly. “You are so beautiful, Louis.”

Louis used his firm hold to move Harry’s face and crash their mouths together, his hips jolting forward when Harry moaned and gripped his thigh so tight that Louis was sure he’d have bruises. In the back of his mind, he could vaguely remember that they had a reservation to get to and regretfully pulled back slightly. “We should leave for dinner, love,” he managed to gasp out as he felt Harry suck a small bruise into his neck, seemingly undeterred by Louis trying to move their date along. When Louis felt the first press of Harry half hard against him, he couldn’t bring himself to care about dinner much either. Before Louis could manage to gather his thoughts to say anything else, Harry pulled back completely and took two steps back from Louis, his hands raised slightly as he panted into the space between them.

“I can’t keep my hands off you,” he ground out, and Louis watched as his fingers twitched, “ _fuck_ Louis, you have no idea how incredible you look right now, I want to _wreck_ you.”

Louis gasped as heat shot straight to his cock and he felt himself twitch in his pants. He took a step closer to Harry to pull him back against him, to wrap himself around him so tightly he couldn’t even breathe, but his hand fell through the air as Harry stepped back further.

“Let’s not go to dinner,” he suggested, leaning back against the counter again and spreading his legs slightly. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted someone like he wanted Harry, didn’t think he’d ever felt the need that was currently coursing through him. He wanted Harry to fuck him, and to fuck Harry, to feel him everywhere, anywhere. He heard him let out a strangled groan and their eyes both snapped up as Louis realised he’d said it out loud.

“Louis. We should go,” Harry said, his voice low even as it cracked, “as much as I want to stay here, we should go now before I can’t find it in myself to leave.”

Louis took a deep breath in through his nose, closing his eyes to try and block out the image of Harry standing in front of him looking like he wanted to devour him. If they were ever going to leave, he needed to control himself. He counted to five, exhaled through his mouth, and then opened his eyes. Somehow, the time he’d taken to collect himself had made it worse.

Harry looked ruined already. His eyes were wide, his hair a mess from Louis’ hands, lips swollen from Louis’ mouth, and he was almost panting where he stood. Louis’ gaze ran down his body and settled on the obvious bulge in his jeans and just like that, the small thread holding onto Louis’ control snapped.

“Fuck dinner.”

He lunged forward as Harry stepped to meet him, their bodies tangling as their lips crashed together. Louis didn’t waste any time tilting Harry’s head slightly with his thumbs pressed lightly against his jaw, coaxing Harry’s lips open with a groan. He felt dizzy with Harry’s tongue running over his lightly, Harry’s hands sliding down to palm his arse, Harry’s fingers digging into the flesh and pulling his cheeks apart, Harry grinding forward to press their cocks together; _Harry Harry Harry_.

Louis’ hands flew up to bury themselves in Harry’s hair and tug, and he felt sparks through his body when Harry whined and moved his hands to grip the back of Louis’ thighs. He locked his arms around Harry’s neck with a startled laugh when the other man picked him up suddenly, wrapping his legs around Harry’s waist. Louis could feel his grin against his mouth as he was swiftly deposited on the kitchen bench, and before he could open his mouth to comment, their mouths connected again, and Louis melted into Harry’s touch.

“Harry,” he panted, keening when Harry’s lips moved to press gentle kisses to the corner of his mouth and cheek and nip down the side of his neck. His head lolled backwards to give Harry access to his neck as he tightened his legs around Harry’s waist, and Louis could swear he felt an almost electric heat coming from Harry’s hand as it slowly caressed up his thigh. It ricocheted through his body and straight to his cock, and Louis could feel where the head was already wet with precome as long fingers grazed his inner thigh. “Harry, _oh_ – you’re moving too _slow,_ need you now.”

Harry’s answering moan vibrated against Louis’ mouth when he pulled him in to kiss him again, their teeth clacking together slightly from Louis’ impatience. Harry pressed a chaste kiss to Louis’ lips before to breathe hotly in his ear. “Don’t want to rush this, Lou,” he whispered, and Louis whined and ground his hips into Harry. He felt his hands skim up under his jumper and fingertips graze along his stomach. Louis convulsed at the feeling and exhaled a shaky breath before sliding his hands down Harry’s neck to wrap around his back. “I’ve wanted you for so long,” Harry continued, latching quickly onto the juncture of Louis’ neck and shoulder, sucking softly and leaving what Louis knew would be a purple mark, “want to take my time with you.”

Louis huffed as his fingers flew around to start on the buttons of Harry’s shirt. He hadn’t realised he was shaking until he struggled to get the last one back through the hole, and Harry’s hand came up to engulf his and stop the movement. He closed his eyes and hung his head, trying to calm his breathing even as he was aware of Harry removing his shirt, the material swishing as it fell to the floor. Louis couldn’t think, he couldn’t _breathe_ when his eyes fluttered open; Harry, his gorgeous Harry, was shirtless in front of him, so close that Louis hardly had to move his free hand to run a teasing trail down his chest. Harry was standing so still, and Louis appreciated the time to explore.

Louis let go of Harry’s hand to slide both palms down the smooth skin in front of him before leaning forward to follow the path with his mouth. He dragged his mouth across Harry’s pecs, pressing soft kisses to one of Harry’s nipples. Louis heard a sharp intake of breath above him and flicked his eyes up to look at Harry; he was staring down at Louis, his face flushed and eyes dark, and Louis held eye contact as he moved to the other and took it gently between his teeth. He pulled slightly, moaning when Harry’s hips jolted forward with a hiss, before running his tongue across it to sooth the sting. He was running his hands over Harry’s body when he pulled back with a noise of surprise.

“You have four nipples,” he stated, staring down at the extra nubs with fascination. He lightly pinched one and cocked his head. “Are they as sensitive as the others?” He twisted his thumb and finger and lent forward to mouth at Harry’s chest again.

A hand came up to palm at the back of his head and hold him still. “No,” Harry replied breathlessly, pushing into the touch, “still feels good, though.”

Louis hummed in understanding and moved his hands down to Harry’s jeans. His heart was still racing but he seemed to have calmed his mind slightly, and he was so grateful because it meant he got to see the twisted look of pleasure cross Harry’s face when he moved his hand to palm him through his jeans. Louis was so hard, and his cock throbbed when he felt how much was he was affecting Harry.

“Fuck, Louis, _please_ ,” Harry whimpered, leaning down to nose at his cheek.

Louis wrapped his hand around the hardness under his palm and squeezed, desire running through him. “Thought you wanted to take it slow, darling,” he purred, nipping at Harry’s chin. Harry’s hands fell to his thighs clumsily, clenching and unclenching like he didn’t know what to do with them.

“I do, _need_ to, need to remember everything about this,” he moaned as Louis undid the button and zip on his jeans, “I just want you, so much.”

Louis slipped his hand into Harry’s pants and grazed his cock, moaning when he felt it, hot and hard, under his fingertips. He impatiently pushed at the top of Harry’s jeans, relieved when Harry got the hint and took everything off, kicking everything into a pile right in the middle of Louis’ kitchen. It was only when Louis was greedily staring at the full expanse of Harry’s gorgeous, soft skin that he realised he was still fully clothed. He clumsily kicked off his shoes from where they were still wrapped around Harry’s waist, and pulled him back against his body. Harry hissed when their bodies collided, and Louis knew the friction of the denim would be just the wrong side of pain against his cock. Louis quickly wrapped his fingers around him, gasping when he could actually feel how hard he was in his hand, thumbing at the slit to gather the fluid there and spread it along his length. He pressed a kiss to Harry’s temple when he fell forward onto Louis’ shoulder with a groan, biting down when Louis stroked firmly.

“You have me, Haz. You have since the first day I met you, and every day since,” Louis whispered into his curls, tightening his grip when he heard Harry let out a small sob, “we have all the time in the world to go slow, love. Next time, you can take me apart however you want.” He moaned when Harry’s hands flew up under his shirt, backing away briefly as he pulled it up and over Louis’ head; they were pressed back together, skin to skin, before it even hit the floor. Louis exhaled shakily as his head swam, the softs moan Harry was letting out every time his fist tightened around the head making him slightly incoherent. “For now though, fuck me,” Harry’s head snapped up from his shoulder, “ _fuck_ me, please Harry.”

The only warning Louis got was Harry’s darkening expression before there were nimble fingers at his jeans, undoing them to tug them down his hips. He let go of Harry to lean back on his hands and lift up slightly to help, and in one swift movement, Harry had stripped him, wrapped a hand around the base of his cock, and swallowed him down.

“Jesus _fuck_ Har - ,” Louis’ entire world tilted, his only thought tied to the sudden hot, wet pressure surrounding his cock, “oh my _god_.” He fell back, propped up on his elbows as he let out a loud groan, one of his hands falling to tangle in Harry’s hair. His foot jolted as Harry ran his tongue up the underside before sucking hard on the head, bobbing his head back down slowly to swallow around him. “God you’re brilliant at this, so fucking _good_ I sw- ,” Louis babbled, cutting off abruptly with a whine when Harry’s hand came up to rub teasingly around his rim.

Harry drew back to rest his cheek at the apex of Louis’ thigh and hip, jerking him off slowly as his tongue flicked out to kitten lick around the base. “Wanna spread you out on your bed,” Harry panted, and Louis let out a strangled cry when he looked down and saw Harry touching himself beneath the bench, “want to eat you out until you beg for me, Lou.”

Louis sat up, dizzy from the lust inhabiting every cell in his body, and twisted his fingers in Harry’s hair to pull their mouths back together. He instantly licked into Harry’s mouth, tasting himself on Harry’s tongue as he wrapped himself around him. He shivered as Harry’s hands skimmed up his sides, one falling back down to grip his arse and lift him, the other drawing him into his body with a tight hold on his waist. “Please.”

“I’ve got you, Sunshine.”

Louis buried his face in Harry’s neck as he walked them through the flat, marking up the pale skin with his teeth, before he was carefully lowered down onto his mattress with a soft ‘oof’. Harry stood over him with his bottom lip caught between his teeth, and Louis reached out, confusion overtaking him when Harry shook his head.

“On your hands and knees, beautiful.”

He scrambled to turn over, trembling slightly as he pushed up onto his knees, fell down onto his elbows, and arched his back to push his arse out. He allowed himself to feel slightly smug when he heard Harry gasp; he knew how he looked like this, and he preened slightly under Harry’s attention. He startled slightly when he felt fingers trailing down the knobs of his spine, sighing when warm lips followed the same path. Harry’s hands trailed down his sides as he knelt behind him, and Louis inhaled sharply when a gentle grip spread him open. He felt Harry breathe hotly over his hole and let his head fall forward, his eyes closing as he let himself get lost in the feeling.

“ _Harry_ , darling,” he panted, throwing a hand back to grab onto Harry’s thigh, “please don’t make me beg.”

“Don’t worry, baby,” a wet finger trailed gently over his rim, “I’ve got you. You look so perfect like this.”

Louis jolted forward at the first flick of Harry’s tongue, but Harry held him steady with a tight grip on his arse, his thumbs pulling Louis’ cheeks apart to lick over him more thoroughly, slick and warm. Louis moaned, turning his head to rest his cheek against the sheets as he pushed back into the feeling. He felt more than heard Harry’s groan as he traced his tongue around Louis’ rim, sucking on the skin slightly before pressing his tongue inside him for the first time.

“ _Fuck,_ oh god ple – _ngh_ , please don’t stop, _Harry_ ,” Louis managed to get out, the lazy way that Harry was fucking into him with his tongue making him grip the sheets so tight he was sure they’d tear. He cried out when one of Harry’s hands palmed at his cock as he kissed over his hole, the perfect amount of friction to set off a chain reaction in Louis that meant he could feel the blinding pleasure starting to build up. “I swear to god, if you don’t fuck me in the next five minutes – ”

Louis was suddenly being yanked and spun around, his back hitting the mattress. He blinked rapidly up at the ceiling, the light he couldn’t remember being turned on causing spots in his vision as Harry settled on his knees in between his spread legs. His mouth dried up when he saw how wet Harry’s lips and chin were, and he reached down to wrap his hand around Harry and tug. Harry fell forward with a grunt, blanketing Louis’ body with his own.

“What do you want, baby?” Harry asked, pushing his hips down to drag his cock into the circle of Louis’ fist.

Louis raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you have to ask?”

“Always,” Harry answered, and it was said with such sincerity that Louis couldn’t help but push up to kiss him softly, their lips brushing together as Harry slowly helped lower him back down with a gentle hand to the back of his head. Louis pulled back to cup Harry’s cheek in his palm, stroking the soft skin before wriggling slightly to open his top drawer. He grabbed lube and a condom, pushing them into Harry’s hand and shimmying back down under Harry’s body. The other man chuckled at him, kissing him sweetly on the nose.

“Get inside me, please,” Louis whispered, digging his nails into Harry’s back.

Harry groaned, sitting back on his feet as he flipped the cap on the lube, slipped off his rings, and coated his fingers in it. Louis just let himself bask in the feeling of being wanted by someone as stunning as Harry, and even just the sight of him taking off his rings caused a bolt of desire to shoot through him. He absentmindedly ran a hand down to touch himself, recoiling when Harry lightly slapped his wrist with his dry hand.

“Let me, love,” he said, his voice rough. He ducked down to suck the head of Louis’ cock into his mouth, causing him to cry out and arch his back to press closer to the feeling. _Wet, hot, burning._ He sighed out at the first gentle press of a finger against his rim before it slowly pressed inside, and Louis was gone.

He writhed on the sheets, his hands tugging at Harry’s hair and the bed, his legs coming up to tighten around Harry’s head before a firm hand on his hip pinned him down. By the time Harry slid a second finger into him, scissoring his fingers and kissing around them, Louis couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t done this sooner. Harry’s fingers were so long and thick inside him, and when he added a third finger, the slight pain was more than worth it when Harry crooked his fingers and rubbed against the small bundle of nerves.

“Fuck, I’m ready, I sw- ,” Louis cried out as fingertips gently circled his prostate and sent him hurtling to the edge, “I’m gonna _come_ if you don’t- oh _fuck_ , Harry, I’m ready, _please_.” Louis was panting harshly, his cock flushed a deep red as Harry pulled his fingers out gently. Louis’ body seemed to ache at the sudden emptiness, but as soon as Harry had slid the condom on and slicked himself up, he went quiet.

Harry’s eyes flew to his as he settled between Louis’ legs, his hand rubbing soothingly up his thigh. “Are you sure?”

Louis swallowed harshly. “Positive. It’s just – a lot. Feel like I’ve wanted you forever,” he confessed. He watched as Harry’s eyes widened before he leant down to kiss him, panting into each other’s mouths as Harry guided his cock to Louis’ rim and carefully pressed inside him.

Fireworks. It was the only way to explain the feeling surging through him as Harry slowly bottomed out; the only way to explain why Louis thought he could see literal sparks of blue and green flying from where Harry’s hand was gripping his thigh so tightly he knew he’d have bruises tomorrow.

“You feel,” Harry choked as he bent forward and held himself up on his forearms to hover over Louis and press kisses into his hair, forehead, and lips, “better than I _dreamed_ of, fuck. _Sunshine_.”

Louis moaned; Harry filled him up perfectly, white hot sparks pooling in his stomach and if he didn’t move soon, Louis was sure he’d die.

“Haz, ‘m good,” he dragged his nails down Harry’s back, crying out when it made his hips buck forward, “c’mon, love.”

Harry swallowed and nodded, drawing back slowly so that Louis could feel every inch of him before he pushed back in with a grunt. He rocked his hips into Louis’, grinding in deep as Louis let out a small sob, before pulling back to do it again. He propped himself up on one elbow as he fucked into Louis with deep, sure strokes, pushing Louis’ fringe back as he kissed him, instantly deepening it as their tongues met. The stretch was dizzying every time Harry rocked into him, and Louis had the sudden rushing realisation that he wanted this every day, wanted to feel this close to him, like they were born to fit together because Louis knew they _were_. He loved Harry, and he choked on a sob as he suddenly felt overwhelmed.

Louis couldn’t remember ever having sex this _good_ , and when Harry’s hand wrapped around his thigh to tighten it around his waist when he started to move faster, Louis couldn’t hold back anything. “ _Harry,_ Haz, fuck, oh my – ” he whined high in his throat when Harry hit his prostate perfectly, “right _there_ , fuck yes.”

Harry angled his thrusts up, dragging the head of his cock along the small bump on almost every push of his hips. “Louis, you feel incredible,” Harry whispered breathlessly, his lips brushing along the shell of Louis’ ear. Louis gripped tighter onto him and let himself start to fall. The pleasure was crashing over him more and more with every thrust, and Louis could do nothing to succumb to it. “You’re so _tight_ , like – _fuck_ – like you were _made_ for me, Sunshine, just for me.” Harry was fucking him now, fast and hard as Louis found himself being flung towards the edge, Harry there to catch him.

“I was, am,” Louis moaned, his head thrown back and hands gripping onto any part of Harry they could reach, “just for you, all yours, I swear.” He cursed loudly when he felt a hand wrap around his neglected cock and jerk him in time with Harry’s thrusts. “God, ‘m so close Haz.”

Harry drew back up on his knees and tilted Louis’ hips up slightly, leaving him an incoherent mess as Harry’s cock constantly pressed against his spot. Louis scrambled to clutch on to something, _anything,_ whining as he pushed his hips to meet Harry’s thrusts. “Wish you could see how you look like this, _Merlin,_ come for me, Louis,” Harry groaned out, tightening his fist and quickening his thrusts, “can’t wait to see you come on my cock, c’mon beautiful, my beautiful boy.”

Just like that, with a final drag over his prostate, Louis was coming over Harry’s fist, calling out his name like it was the only word he knew. It felt like he was being picked apart and then immediately put back together, his vision whiting out as he twitched underneath the man solely responsible for ruining him for anyone else. Harry was still fucking into him, letting him ride out his orgasm as much as possible, and Louis tightened around him as he cursed, shaking his head to move his curls out of his face. Louis felt Harry start to withdraw and made a protesting sound, his speech slurring from the pleasure still coursing through him as he locked his ankles behind Harry to keep him inside. “Haz, inside me, please.”

Harry cried out softly, his hips rabbiting forward as he chased his orgasm, and Louis arched up into his chest as Harry fell forward, panting into Louis’ ear as he squirmed from oversensitivity. “You feel, _fuck,_ ” Harry’s hands were touching Louis everywhere they could reach before one settled at the small of his back, the other pulling Louis’ head into his neck as his movements grew sloppy, “’m gonna _come,_ oh – ”.

Louis wrapped himself completely around Harry, his arms encircling his back as he closed his eyes against the sensations prickling along his every nerve. “Let go, love,” he murmured into Harry’s ear, moaning when Harry’s hips stuttered, and his grip tightened where he was clutching Louis to him like a lifeline. He could feel Harry pulsing inside him, and he groaned when Harry panted out a string of curses along with his name, the word never sounding so sweet until now. Harry’s hips rutted forward slowly as he loosened his grip and kissed over Louis’ face, holding him tight as they both tried to catch their breath. Louis stroked his hands down Harry’s back, damp with sweat and hot under his palm, laughing breathlessly when Harry sighed and nuzzled down into the crook of Louis’ neck.

“Fuck.”

Louis chuckled as Harry heaved himself up slightly, locking eyes as his hand came up to run through Harry’s curls. “Agreed,” Louis sighed, drawing Harry down for a kiss, both of them smiling too much and making their teeth clack together, “Harry, I - ,” _Louis don’t, not after sex, not now, for fucks sake,_ “I’m so glad I met you.”

Harry’s face softened before he claimed Louis’ lips gently. “I’m so glad I met you too, Sunshine.” Louis blushed, mentally kicking himself as he felt the heat rise in his face. He batted slightly at Harry when he grinned and pressed a kiss to his forehead, before wincing when Harry gripped the base of the condom and slowly pulled out. “I’ll be back in a second, I’m just going to clean up. Bathroom?”

Louis pointed lazily in the right direction before starfishing out on the bed, watching Harry as he left the room. He exhaled a large breath; it didn’t seem fair that Harry was everything he’d already known him to be, _plus_ amazing in bed. He lifted his head slightly to rest it back down on his hands, palms up, and let his mind wander. There was no way he was letting Harry leave over the weekend; they could stay in bed and just have sex all weekend, only stopping to eat, shower (together, obviously) and sleep.

“Well, this is a sight I could get used to.”

Louis lifted his head to grin at Harry, dragging his gaze down to take in the man leaning against the door frame. “Feel free to get used to it,” Louis arched his eyebrow as Harry stumbled over and ran the wet flannel in his hand over Louis’ stomach. He sighed at the pleasant sensation, jolting slightly when it moved to gently clean between his legs. “I don’t do this with just anyone, you know.” Louis watched as Harry threw the flannel to the side and laid back down, pulling him against his side. He threw his leg over Harry’s body, wincing at the slight pain that flared up at the base of his spine before he settled with a mewl when Harry started carding his fingers through his hair. He felt like if he could purr, he would; warm, sated, and relaxed in the arms of the man he loved.

“I know, baby,” Harry finally responded, pressing a kiss to the top of his head when Louis snuggled deeper into his embrace, pressing his nose to Harry’s neck, “I’m so grateful and lucky that I get to see you like this.”

They laid there quietly, basking in the afterglow as their fingers ran soothingly over each other, small kisses being dropped anywhere they could reach. The moment was broken when Louis’ stomach rumbled, and he froze as he felt his face heat up. Harry cackled and titled Louis’ face up to his.

“We should probably eat, seeing as we missed dinner.”

Louis nodded, his cheeks still flaming as he laughed. “I could order Chinese?”

“Deal,” Harry breathed against his lips before his face changed slightly, “oh! Before I forget, do you have potpourri somewhere?” Louis froze, but Harry continued on as though he hadn’t noticed, “your flat smells just like my shop, and I’d love it if you could remember where you got it.”

Louis’ heart pounded in his chest; obviously closing the study door hadn’t masked the scent enough. He fidgeted before responding, trying to keep his voice level. “’m not sure, Haz,” he laughed nervously, linking his fingers with Harry’s to calm himself, “Maybe Lotts put some somewhere. Anyway, I’ll go get a menu from the kitchen for the place down the street.” Harry smiled at him and squeezed his fingers as he got up.

His heart rate slowed as he wandered over to the dining table, flicking on the light to find the menu before he stilled, blinking rapidly to make sure he knew what he was seeing.

The moonflower plant had twice as many flowers and had grown at least six inches since Louis had turned the light off earlier today. He stared at it, running his fingers over the leaves and felt it quiver under his touch; he’d come to love the way the plant seemed to respond to him, even though he didn’t have a logical explanation for it. The only one he had wasn’t logical at all, but the more he thought about it, the more logical it got.

“Sunshine! If you don’t hurry up, I’m just gonna have to take care of myself.”

Louis grinned, grabbed the menu, and sprinted back to his room. The existential crisis could wait.

******

Harry slowly blinked his eyes open in confusion, heat travelling through his body and ending in a single point at his groin. He moaned quietly, shifting on the soft sheets beneath him as his hands reached down sleepily to find the source of the incredible warmth. He started when his fingers slid through soft hair, and his eyes shot open as he ripped the duvet away from his body.

“ _Fucking hell_.”

Louis was looking at him through his lashes, and _Merlin_ he knew what that did to Harry. He would’ve looked so innocent, blue eyes staring up at him, if it wasn’t for the fact that his pink lips were stretched wide around Harry’s cock. Harry groaned, tangling his fingers in Louis’ hair as he hollowed his cheeks and slid slowly up his length. He panted and threw his head back against the pillow when he felt a slick finger tease along his crack to run lightly over his rim. Louis pulled off to press kisses to the leaking head. “Harry, I want to – can I?”

Harry stared down at Louis, tugging at his hair lightly and watching as his eyes fluttered shut. “ _Yes_ , fuck me Louis.”

Louis shuddered, kissing up Harry’s thighs as he slid a finger in to the first knuckle. Harry clenched down, gasping when it caused Louis to exhale shakily against his skin. “You’re so tight, Bambi. Can’t believe I get to feel this wrapped around me soon.” He let his mind float away slightly at the pleasure from Louis’ fingers as he added a second, and then a third, stretching him to take his cock. A flush was spreading down his body, and when Louis crooked his fingers just _so,_ he thrashed slightly as precome slid down the head. “So wet, darling. S’all for me?” Louis groaned, and Harry cried out when Louis ran his tongue along it to swallow the taste, “taste _gorgeous_ , love.”

He whimpered before hauling Louis up to kiss him, his fingers popping out of Harry easily as he pushed at his shoulders to land on his back. Louis stared up at him with bright eyes, his breathing heavy as his hands settled on Harry’s waist when he straddled his lap. “Want to ride you, Lou,” he explained, sucking in a sharp breath when he felt a hand wrap around his cock and squeeze. He rushed to grab a condom, slid it over Louis and slicked him up, and paused. “Is that okay?”

Louis choked on a laugh, reaching around to grab Harry’s arse. “ _More_ than okay. Come on love, ride me,” Harry gasped, his body jerking forward as Louis’ hand came down lightly on his arse, “show me what you’ve got.”

He settled against Louis, relishing the stinging sensation across his cheek as he raised himself up slightly before gripping Louis’s cock and slowly sinking down inch by inch. Louis’ swore when Harry sat flush against his hips, panting heavily as Louis’ hands flitted all over his body. He felt so _full_ , so wanted and sexy, and he lost control slightly, his magic setting off sparks over his skin where Louis’ fingers twitched. He panted, hanging his head down as he ground his hips in small circles as he tried to reign his magic back in.

He looked up to see Louis’ watching his body in awe, and Harry had to distract him from the way the blue and green melded together before disappearing. “ _Louis_.” Success. Louis’ eyes flew up to meet his, his pupils blown wide, and Harry felt his magic settle when he concentrated. He lifted his hips and dropped back down, crying out softly at the feeling of Louis inside him. “Oh _fuck_ , I – ngh, please Louis, _touch me_.”

Something in Louis seemed to snap and he sat up quickly, kissing Harry desperately as he ran a finger over where they were connected as he moved his hips to meet him halfway. Harry sobbed, grinding his hips faster before Louis stopped him with a tight grip on his waist. “Turn around, love. Back against my chest,” Harry moved sluggishly, fumbling slightly as he twisted, his knees settling either side of Louis’ thighs as he sank back down onto him with a hiss. “ _Fucking he-_ that’s it, darling, that’s it.” Harry started to move as he rested his head back, running his hands down his body to wrap around his own cock. He whined when Louis thrust up to meet him, quickening the pace as Louis’ hands gripped onto Harry’s hips to guide his movements.

“Oh, _oh,_ Louis,” Harry panted, whining when Louis batted his hands away until they rested uselessly on his thighs. Louis was suddenly touching him everywhere; gripping his hair to tilt his head back more and exposing his throat to Louis’ searching mouth, sliding over his stomach, twisting his nipples, and then finally moving down to palm his cock. “Please, ‘m close, touch me.”

Louis groaned in his ear, shifting slightly to grip his hip in one hand, the other still wrapped around Harry where he was hard and wet. Harry whined, moving a hand back to tug at Louis’ hair in a silent plea, and suddenly everything was too much. Louis held him still as he thrust up into him, Harry not able to do anything but take it as he cried out.

“Ah, ah, _ah, fuck_ , I’m gonna _come_ Louis, don’t – _ngh_ – don’t stop.” All Harry could feel was blinding pleasure, the way that Louis’ cock felt every time pressed into him as he fucked up into him. He could hear Louis’ groans and grunts in his ear, and all it took was one final thrust and a whisper from Louis for him to fall over the edge.

“Come for me, Harry.”

He cried out, arching his back as he came, tightening around Louis where he was still inside him. He felt Louis groan against his neck as he thrust up into him once more before stilling, and Harry could feel him throbbing as he came down from his high. When he opened his eyes, he could feel Louis pressing kisses to the nape of his neck, and he wriggled happily before slowly raising himself up to collapse down on the bed.

Louis was panting as he ran a hand down Harry’s sweaty back before he flopped down, half on top of him. Harry hummed into the pillow, turning his head to meet Louis in a tender kiss, lifting his arm to wrap it around his shoulders.

Oh, he could definitely get used to this.

*****

The entire weekend was everything that Harry had imagined it could be, plus everything he’d never even begin to consider. They’d spent both days in bed, exploring each other with their hands and mouths. Harry had loved discovering everything about Louis that made him twitch, everything that made him moan and whimper and curse; the spot behind his ear that made him rake his nails down Harry’s back, the way that he jolted when Harry’s tongue traced around rim, the way he whimpered Harry’s name when he tugged Louis’ hair and ground in deep.

Every minute that they’d spent together had made Harry fall more in love with him. He’d opened up completely about his past, his family, everything. Harry had never known anyone more than he knew Louis, and when it finally came to Sunday night, they were both standing at Louis’ door completely wrapped around each other.

“I don’t want you to go,” Louis pouted, looking up at Harry with sad eyes.

Harry chuckled and brushed Louis’ fringe back from his face, trailing his fingers down Louis’ face to cup his cheek. “Trust me, baby. I don’t want to go,” he couldn’t look away from the man in front of him, eyes searching his face intently, “but I have to go home.” He leaned down to kiss him, cupping his face with both hands and Louis sighed happily and scratched his fingers through Harry’s hair. He laughed when he tried to pull back and Louis made a sad noise in the back of his throat. “Sunshine, I have to go, I’ll message you when I get home, okay?”

Louis sighed resignedly, loosening his grip in Harry’s curls and allowing Harry to take a step back. Harry took Louis’ hand in his and bought it to his lips to place a gentle kiss on the back of it. Louis’ face was so fond and for a moment, Harry let himself believe that everything was okay.

And then Louis opened his mouth, and everything fell apart.

“Before you go, I just – you need to know, Haz,” Harry watched as his eyes seemed to sparkle, and he lost himself in intense gaze, “I’ve never felt like this with anyone before. I feel like I _know_ you, yeah? Like I know everything about you, every little thing, and it makes me feel connected to you in a way I’ve never known.” Harry froze when the little voice he’d managed to squash all weekend came back with a vengeance – _he doesn’t know you, you’re lying to him, do you even really love him if you’re treating him like this?_ Harry could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he gripped Louis’ hand tighter, feeling Louis squeeze back. It did nothing to reassure him. “You’ve been so honest with me about everything, and other people in my past haven’t. I like you so much for everything you are, Harry. How kind you are, how generous you are, how you always think of other people over yourself” – _you don’t deserve him, you’re lying to him, he deserves better than you –_ “and I just,” Louis smiled sheepishly, but it did nothing to quell the anxiety rising up in Harry’s body, “I’ve never been so happy, so thank you.”

Harry choked on a sob, wrapping his arms around Louis’ shoulders to draw him into his body. He tried desperately to stop the thoughts, but it just seemed to make then worse and before he knew it, he was spiralling. He squeezed him tightly – _you have to let this be the last time, you’re lying to him, he won’t want you when he finds out –_ and Louis giggled. The sound felt like knives now, driving directly into his heart and when he pulled back, he had tears in his eyes.

He watched as Louis realised, his face concerned as he wiped a stray tear from Harry’s cheek. “Darling, are you okay?”

“I’m – I’m fine, Louis,” he managed to get out, pulling him back in to press a lingering kiss to Louis’ hair – _I can’t believe you let yourself think you could have this, you’re lying to him, you’re hurting him and he doesn’t even know it –_ and breathed deeply, “I’m so happy that I met you too.”

Louis untangled himself from Harry’s grip and beamed up at him – _Sunshine, my Sunshine –_ before he kissed Harry once more, and laughed. “Okay love, I have to let you leave otherwise I never will.” Harry struggled to push down the panic that was still rising and nodded robotically. “Don’t forget to message me when you get home, darling.”

Harry nodded again before gripping Louis tightly and crashing their lips together. Louis made a surprised noise against his mouth but relaxed into it immediately. Harry tore himself away and stifled a sob – _no more, you’re lying to him, you don’t deserve him_ – and waved good bye as he walked quickly to the lift. “Bye, Sunshine.”

Louis quirked his lips up with a wave as Harry stepped into the lift. “Bye, Bambi.”

The doors closed, and Harry broke. He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t think anything beyond _– you’re lying to him, he’s too good for you, you’re lying to him, you’re lying to him –_

_Liar_

_Liar_

_Liar_

Harry sobbed, clutched his wand, and disapparated straight from the lift and in front of a door. He couldn’t breathe, he felt dizzy, but he banged as hard as he could on the wood. He could hear someone open the door, a gasp of his name, and strong hands dragging him inside.

_Liar_

_Liar_

He was sat down on a couch with someone sat in front of him but –

_You don’t love him, not really_

“ – c’mon babe, with me, yeah? – ”

_How could he trust you?_

“ – _Harry_ , for fucks sake, please, breathe with me, that’s it – ”

The voice in his head was getting overtaken by a higher, slightly panicked one.

“That’s it babe, you’re doing so well, focus on my voice, breathe with me.”

Harry took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and then another, and another until he finally felt stable enough to open his eyes. He immediately locked onto Nick’s face, and he felt tears run down his face at the stricken look that sat there.

“ _Harry_. There you are, come on. What’s happened, love?”

“Nick, I – ”, Harry sobbed, leaning forward to clutch onto Nick’s shirt, “I love him so much.”

“I know you do,” Nick’s hands ran a soothing pattern up and down his back, “but why is that a bad thing?”

“I’ve been _lying,_ Nick, the whole time. He thinks he knows me, and he _doesn’t,_ and I don’t deserve him,” Harry struggled to control his breathing again, but Nick’s touch get him grounded.

“Babe,” Nick’s voice was incredulous, “that’s just not true, it’s obvious he’s crazy about you, this doesn’t mean anyt – ”

“Please,” Harry whispered, “please stop trying to make me feel better.”

Nick scoffed, drawing back to look at his face. “That’s my job, babe. Please explain, love, I don’t understand.”

Harry just buried his face back into Nick’s neck, and when he got a message from Louis half an hour later, he turned his phone off and threw it onto the coffee table without opening it.

He didn’t deserve Louis.

_Liar._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	8. Hellebore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything's broken, Niall's supportive, and Louis figures it all out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note, there's another anxiety attack at the start of this chapter

There was a soft knock on the door, startling Harry out of his thoughts as he tore his eyes away from the ceiling.

“Yeah?” his voice was scratchy and hoarse from the amount of crying he’d done over the last 36 hours. Nick had forced him to stay home yesterday, and he’d only agreed if Nick had promised to tell Ed to order hellebore for the shop.

“Time to go to work, babe,” Nick’s voice came through the door, soft and concerned.

Harry heaved a sigh and sat up, rubbing at his tired eyes as he swung to put his feet on the floor. His gaze fell to his phone resting on the bed side table, still turned off since Sunday night. He knew he was being a coward, knew that Louis would be trying to contact him, was probably worried about him, but he didn’t know how to deal with the fact that they couldn’t be together.

He couldn’t lie to Louis anymore, not when he’d admitted that one of the reasons he wanted Harry was because he was so honest and genuine. Louis was perfection, and he deserved someone who treated him in a way Harry never could; no secrets, just love and respect and honesty. The problem, Harry thought, was that the love and respect were no problem; he respected Louis beyond compare and was so in love with the man that it tore him apart. It was the honesty that was the problem. He had no idea how long he would have to lie to Louis, and when he finally found out, Louis would hate him, and he may have wasted years of Louis’ life (if he was lucky enough to even get to be with him for that long). Tears filled his eyes again and he choked back a sob as everything about Louis came rushing back. He was just _so in love_ with him.

But it wasn’t enough.

He’d never be enough for Louis.

After he showered and got dressed, he wandered wearily into Nick’s kitchen, a small smile on his face when he saw a steaming cup of coffee waiting for him. He sat at the island in the kitchen and ignored Nick’s intense gaze across the bench.

“Still don’t want to talk about it?”

Harry sipped at his coffee. “Nope.”

“Harry,” Nick sighed, resting on his elbows and leaning slightly towards him, “you can’t avoid this forever. You need to talk about it; I could hear you crying, your eyes are red, and I can tell you’re exhausted. Harry, you turned up at my door having a panic attack. I’m worried about you. What happened?”

Harry avoided looking at him as he answered. “Lying got too hard, just like you said.” His tone was neutral, his face blank, and he saw Nick wince out of the corner of eye.

“You _love_ him, you can make it work, I know you can – ”

“You said it yourself. It’s not enough.”

“That’s _not_ what I said, Merlin Har – ”

“It’s fine,” his voice cracked, but he pushed on, “please Nick, can we leave it? Just for now, please.”

Nick was silent for a long beat before he nodded and pushed away from the bench. “We should go. It’s 9:30, we’re in a bit late. Just,” he stopped in the entrance to the kitchen, and Harry looked up at him, “don’t do something stupid.” When Harry didn’t answer, he sighed and left the room.

*****

“Harry, mate. Are you sure you’re okay?” Ed asked, frowning at him from across the shop. Harry looked at him briefly, rearranging the hellebores where they sat in the vase. “I tried to call you yesterday, but it went straight to voicemail.”

“I’m fine, Ed. I just – I can’t talk about it yet,” Harry murmured, that empty feeling inside taking over once more at the thought of Louis’ unread messages, “I’m sorry about my phone, I’m just avoiding contact with people at the moment.”

Ed hummed thoughtfully as he finished balancing the till. It’d been a relatively slow day, but Harry had still been glad for the distraction that work had bought. “You should just call Louis.” Harry’s head whipped around to stare at Ed.

“What do you mean? I haven’t told anyone what happened, how did you – ”

“I don’t _know_ what happened mate, but it’s not hard to figure out. The heartbreak is written all over your face.”

Harry let his hands drop as he felt tears gather in his eyes. He dug the heel of his hands into his eyes to stop them from falling and exhaled shakily. “I can’t just _call_ Louis, okay? I can’t.”

“Why can’t you ‘just call Louis’?”

Harry froze where he stood, and it felt like ice was slowly spreading through his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, his fists clenching at his sides as he tried to calm his breathing. He hadn’t been prepared for this yet; he knew it would happen, knew he couldn’t ignore him forever, but he wasn’t expecting it so soon, when the ache in his soul was still so raw. He turned around, and when his watery green eyes met agonised blue, the tears fell, and a pulse of magic left him.

A shelf of vases vibrated dangerously to his right.

Louis didn’t even look, couldn’t look away from Harry, and when he realised he was crying, he rushed forward and cupped his face in his palms. Harry sobbed, trying to pull back so he didn’t _hurt_ anymore, but Louis’ touch was grounding, warm and loving, and Harry allowed himself a final moment of weakness as Louis’ thumbs brushed the tears from his cheeks.

“ _Darling_ , please tell me what’s wrong,” he whispered, and Harry cried harder at the sadness in his voice, “Bambi, love, please I don’t understand. You’ve been ignoring my calls and messages, I’ve been so worried about you.” Harry could see his eyes frantically searching his face as his fingertips travelled over the bridge of his nose, so he took a heaving breath and stepped back. Louis’ hands fell through the air between them. “Harry?”

“I’m sorry Louis, but I can’t do this,” Harry said, and his heart thudded painfully in his chest when Louis’ face crumpled.

“I – I don’t – can’t do what? I don’t - ,” Louis stepped back and ran a hand through his hair. Harry’s fingers itched to reach out and touch, so he held onto the bottom of his shirt for dear life. “What do you mean? Harry, I thought we – ” Louis reached out, his voice pleading, but it broke off with a gasp when Harry stepped further back again. Every step he took felt like a stab to his chest, but he knew it was right; Louis deserved better.

“We can’t be together, Louis,” Harry whispered, watching painfully as Louis’ eyes filled with tears, “we’re too different, it – it wouldn’t work.” _You’re doing the right thing, you’re doing the right thing, he’ll be better off without you._

“Where is this _coming_ from, Harry? After,” Louis’ voice cracked, and he had to clear his throat before he continued, “after this weekend, I thought we – I thought we were on the same page with what we wanted. Even _before_ then, I thought you wanted what I did.”

Harry was grateful when he realised Ed had left the room. He gasped in a breath as he wiped the tears from his face, and he almost wrapped himself around Louis when he saw a tear track down his face. He was even beautiful when he cried; Harry fought to control himself.

The vases shifted again.

“I can’t explain it, Louis, I’m so sorry, I can’t,” Harry whispered again, “it’s just as hard for me as it is for you, but we can’t be together.”

Louis looked at him incredulously, furiously wiping his cheeks. “How can you be doing this to us and saying it’s just as hard for you? I had no idea this was coming, Harry, how could this be _just_ as hard – ” he cut himself off with a strangled cry, and Harry could see his hands shaking from where he stood.

“We _can’t,_ we need to stop now before we’re in too deep.” _Too late for you, but at least you can save him from more pain_.

Louis laughed without humour, pacing around the shop slightly before spinning around to face Harry again. “It’s too late for that, Harry. I’m already in too deep! I’ve never felt this way before, _please_ just talk to me,” he stepped up to Harry and took his hands in his, rubbing his thumbs across his knuckles soothingly, “whatever it is darling, we can talk about it, we can figure it out.”

Harry’s heart felt like it was shattering more with every word, like every piece was constantly splintering and travelling through his bloodstream to pierce every cell in his body. He shook his head fiercely, his curls flying over his face. “I can’t, we _can’t,_ I’m sorry Lou, we just can’t,” he broke down, sobbing as Louis’ hands flew up to cup his cheeks again. Before he could step away, Louis was up on his toes and kissing him fiercely. Harry could taste salt and feel the wetness of Louis’ tears on his cheeks, and when he tried to pull back, Louis’ grip on his face tightened and he groaned into his mouth. Louis melted into him, and as soon as his hands slipped, Harry ripped himself away again, shaking his head.

The vases tilted.

“No,” Louis whispered, and the look on his face was broken, “ _please_ , no, don’t do this. _Bambi._ ”

Harry didn’t think he could cry anymore, that there would be any more tears left, but fresh tears fell at the pet name. His voice croaked; “I have to. I’m sorry.”

“It can’t be _over._ We never even had a proper chance,” Louis said quietly, tears falling freely to splash against his shirt.

“I know,” Harry whispered, “and it’s killing me, and I can’t tell you why, but it – it is. It’s over.”

They stood there staring at each other, neither of them moving until Louis spoke.

“I love you, Harry. I’m so in love with you, please don’t do this,” Harry didn’t move, couldn’t move as Louis continued, “I wish I’d said it before now, but I can’t fix that, I can only fix now.” When Harry still couldn’t answer, Louis’ face twisted. “Please just tell me this meant something to you, that I – that I wasn’t just a _fuck_. Oh my god, I can’t believe I didn’t realise. As soon as you finally get me into bed, it’s over? You want me to think it’s a coincidence?”

Harry was speaking before he could stop himself. “ _Louis_. Of course it meant something, it meant _everything_. This weekend was perfect, and I didn’t deserve it, but I would _never_ use you, _never,_ ” he paused as Louis sobbed into his sleeve, and he couldn’t stop the words from coming out, “I love you too, Louis, in a way I never thought was possible.” He heard Louis gasp but stood his ground.

“Then _why_ are you doing this?!” Louis exploded, his hands gesturing wildly as he trembled where he stood. Everything in Harry longed to take him in his arms, press kisses everywhere he could reach, but he could be strong. He had to be.

“Because it’s not enough, Louis. I’m not enough.”

“You don’t get to decide that for me! You’re more than enough, Harry, you’re everything I’ve ever wanted,” Louis shot back. He was breath-taking when he was angry.

“I’m sorry.”

Louis scoffed in disbelief, raking his fingers through his hair as he shook his head. “I can’t believe this,” he whispered, and Harry could feel himself losing control, the magic pumping through his veins wildly. Louis walked slowly towards the door, opening it slowly as Harry’s lower lip trembled. Louis turned around as the door opened. “I should’ve known you’d leave. Everyone I love always does.” With a slam of the door, he was gone.

Harry broke, finally releasing everything he’d been keeping inside.

Four shelves of vases shattered instantly, glass and flowers flying around the room as Harry sank to the ground, pulling his knees up to his chest as he cried. He couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, wasn’t getting enough air into his lungs, and all he could hear was broken pieces of sound.

A door opening. Ed yelling. _wingardium leviosa_ as Sarah levitated flowers away. _reparo_ as Mitch fixed the vases. _episkey_ as Adam healed the tiny cuts on his arms that he hadn’t even noticed. Ed’s frantic voice bellowing for Nick. “Louis was here, I don’t know what - ”. “ – broke up, I think – ”. Nick’s soothing voice right in front of him. “ – breathe with me Harry, you can do it – ”. “that’s it babe, you’re doing so well, breathe with me.”

Silence.

Harry looked up finally through watery eyes to see his friends looking at him, concern and heartbreak on their faces as they all kneeled in front of him. With another sob and a small whimper, he reached out, and was quickly engulfed with five sets of arms around him.

They all sat like that until it got dark, and even when they all went back to Nick’s so he wouldn’t be alone, they never asked what was wrong because they knew. He knew it was written all over his face, and he was so exhausted that he was asleep the second he laid his head on Ed’s lap and closed his eyes.

He dreamt of Louis.

*****

Harry sat stoically at the work bench in the back room the next afternoon, Ed and Mitch chatting around him as he organised more hellebore into fresh vases. He’d just finished and was picking up two vases to take to the shop when Sarah popped her head through the door. The look on her face was hesitant as she spoke.

“Harry? There’s someone here to see you.”

Harry sighed, figuring it could be any of the regulars, and stood up to switch out with Sarah. He carried the hellebore with him as he pushed through the door, setting the vases down and turning to the customer.

“Hi, how are y – Liam?”

Every time that Harry had met Liam so far, he’d been the personification of happiness; wide, genuine smiles, kind eyes, and a sweet personality. Harry almost didn’t recognise him now. His posture was straight, his broad shoulders pushed back, and his face completely blank. He had his hands folded behind his back, but he raised one to stop Harry from talking. When he spoke, his voice was as bitter and piercing as a morning frost in the middle of winter.

“Don’t. Before you even say a single word, you need to know that the only reason I’m here is because Louis sent me to get flowers for his mum.”

Harry stared at him, meeting his angry gaze before looking away before Liam could see the tears starting to well there. “Okay,” he whispered as he moved around him to gather florals to use. He moved as quickly as possible before he got back to the bench, grabbing the hellebores to use as well from where they sat next to him. The tension in the room was palpable, and he couldn’t help but talk as he wrapped a ribbon around the finished bouquet.

“I’m sorry, I just – I need to know why he sent you here. I thought he wouldn’t want anything to do with me after what I did,” Harry squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears from falling, but it was no use and they made a soft noise when they hit the paper wrapped around the blooms.

“He still wanted them from you, even though I told him it was a bad idea,” Liam’s voice had softened slightly, but Harry still couldn’t look at him, “he said they’re the most beautiful arrangements he’s ever seen, made by the most beautiful man he’s ever known.”

Harry was so tired of crying, but nothing could’ve stopped the sob that escaped him at the words as his hand flew up to cover his mouth. He locked eyes with Liam and could see the confusion, anger, and sympathy there in equal measures.

“Louis is like a brother to me Harry, and when he told me what happened and broke down in my flat, I was so angry at you – I still am. He’s destroyed, Harry. Do you have any idea what you’ve done to him? Do you even care?” Harry gasped as tears fell, and he wiped them away quickly. Liam reached across to place a gentle hand on the one of Harry’s that rested on the counter. “When he said you seemed devastated too, I didn’t believe him; it didn’t make sense, but seeing you now – Harry, what are you doing? You need to fix this, it’s killing both of you. He loves you.”

Harry choked slightly, playing with his rings. “I love him too, Liam, but we _can’t,_ and I can’t tell you why, I just _can’t_ – ”

“Hey, c’mon, breathe mate,” Liam said softly, and Harry followed the rise and fall of the solid chest in front of him, “that’s it, perfect mate, there ya go. Look, Harry. It’s not my place, but Louis has had people leave him, both voluntarily and not, and I just. I thought you were different.”

The words and disappointed tone cut him to his core, and he sobbed again as he heard the door to the back room open, an arm wrapping around his shoulders. He curled into the warmth and familiar scent – _Niall._ He took a deep, shuddering breath; everything was okay now.

“Sorry lad, but you should leave.” Niall’s tone brokered no argument, and Harry pushed into his neck to cry against his skin. He could hear them talking in low tones before Liam paid and left. Niall flicked his wand at the door, locking it and flicking the sign around to say the shop was closed before wrapping his arms around Harry to pull him against his chest. “H, Harry, hey,” Harry pulled back, tears tracking down his cheeks even as Niall wiped them away, “c’mon, you’re alright. Tell me everything.”

Two cushioning charms, Butterbeers _accio_ ed from Niall’s shop fridge, and two hours of conversation later, Harry’s head was leaning against Niall’s shoulder where they sat on the floor. He’d been silent almost the entire time, letting Harry get everything out as he cried and vented and spoke words of love and adoration for the man he’d let down.

“I’m so sorry,” Niall said quietly, running his fingers through Harry’s curls as Harry closed his eyes. “I’m sorry you’ve been in so much pain, I’m sorry that this happened, and I’m _so_ sorry I haven’t been around to support you and help you through it. H, I’m so – ”

Harry stopped Niall before he could keep apologising. “Ni, it’s okay. You’ve been getting everything ready for the opening of your shop, and I’m so proud of you.” It was true; Niall had been running around, stressed out of his mind in the lead up to his opening day. Harry had hardly seen him in two weeks, but it wasn’t Niall’s fault; he was so proud of his best friend and hadn’t wanted to bother him. “You’ve had enough to worry about,” he added, shifting to look at Niall when his friend made a soft noise.

“Mate,” Niall swivelled to look at him and took his face between his hands, smooshing his cheeks together until his lips pursed and he giggled, “ah, there you are. H, you are never a bother to me, _ever._ I always want you to tell me what’s happening in your life, especially when it makes you this upset. Day or night, whatever you need, I’ll always be there for you, yeah?” Niall looked at him expectantly, and Harry nodded, sniffing as Niall let go of his cheeks. “Especially if it means you have to go to bloody _Grimshaw_ for advice.” Harry giggled again when Niall grinned at him, settling back against his shoulder with their arms linked. “You should definitely talk to my parents, Harry. Me mam went through the same thing, and they advocated heavily back in the day for relationships with muggles to be more widely accepted. It’s a different time now, mate.”

Harry was silent as he mulled it over in his head; it was much easier to block out the bullshit when Niall was there with him.  “I – I think I’d like that,” he said softly, smiling as Niall pressed his cheek harder against the top of his head, “should I call them or something?”

“They’d be shattered if we didn’t come ‘round for dinner, but they’re travelling at the moment. They’re back on Tuesday though, so we’ll set summit’ up then,” Niall replied easily, “also, you need to know something else. You _do_ deserve Louis, mate. You deserve happiness and love, and I know the kind of person you are; ya love with your _whole soul_ , H.  Louis is lucky to have you in his life, and lucky to be loved by someone like you.” Harry sniffled, quickly wiping his eyes on his sleeve when Niall pressed a kiss to his hair. “I hadn’t seen you so happy in such a long time; please don’t let bullshit prejudices stop you from finally being _happy_ , Harry. You’re one of the best people I know, and you deserve everything good in this bloody world – that’s Louis, mate.”

Harry pushed out a shaky breath, exhaling loudly into the silent shop while Niall hummed a tune and tapped his foot against the floor. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

“Anytime, mate,” Niall said breezily before he pressed on, “So. Hellebores, huh?”

Harry scrunched his face up in confusion. “Yeah?”

“Wait, so – you didn’t do it on purpose?” Niall’s hand had stopped moving in his hair, and Harry pushed into his hand until he felt fingers scratching at his scalp. He hummed happily.

“Do what on purpose?” Harry’s tired, and the Butterbeers he’d had just seemed to have made him sleepy.

“What are all the main flowers you’ve put in Louis’ bouquets? And don’t tell me you don’t remember, I know you do,” Niall accused with a fond tone. Harry sighed and then rattled them all off as Niall grabbed a pen and piece of paper and wrote them down. When he’d finished, Niall spoke again. “Okay, we’re gonna do something.” Harry made a small noise of complaint when Niall shifted to sit up, but he turned around to face him anyway. They sat cross legged, hands in their laps, looking at each other; Niall’s face was strangely blank, and Harry knew he looked confused. “I know you’re good with flower meanings, or at least that you associate them with certain things. We’re gonna play a bit of word association!” Harry groaned, but Niall pushed on, straightening the piece of paper in his lap, “just want you to see for yourself, mate.”

Harry shook his curls out before running his fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his fine. “Fine,” he sighed, “hit me.”

“Okay. Just tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Celosia and roses.”

“Burning and affection for the celosia, love for the roses,” Harry said instantly.

Niall wrote it down quickly. “And this was the first time you’d met? Hmm, maybe not a great start – you didn’t know he existed yet. Still kinda fits, though!” he grinned at Harry, who just rolled his eyes. “Alright. Sunflower.”

“Adoration.”

Niall snorted. “Well, that was after you’d met him so that makes sense. What happened during that week?”

Harry thought for a moment before he answered, fidgeting with his rings. “Just a lot of flirting, and I gave him the moonflower plant.”

“Well that plant is a whooole different thing, so let’s not touch that just yet,” Niall joked, grinning as Harry felt blood rush to his face. “Next up; pink dahlia. Why does the colour matter on this one?”

“Kindness, and grace,” Harry answered distractedly as his mind wandered, “and some colours have different meanings in some flowers. Also, this doesn’t quite make sense. I would’ve ordered the flowers on a Sunday night or Monday morning, so they should be tied to whatever happened the week _before_.”

Niall seemed to contemplate that for a moment. “Still makes sense though, mate. I think whatever happened around it, before or after, is  important. Anyway, hush; you’re ruining the game,” Harry rolled his eyes again as Niall kept talking, “okay, seaholly.”

“Attraction, and I was trying to match Louis’ eyes.”

“Straight up with that one, mate. Seems a bit obvious. What happened before that?”

Harry was suddenly hit with images of Louis pushed against a wall, and the feeling of a soft brush of lips. His hand flew up to rub gently over his lips as he answered. “That was when we all went out, and we kissed and agreed to go on a date.”

Niall was smiling so wide that there were crinkles next to his eyes. “Great. Next up, daisies.”

“Innocence, new beginnings. I ordered them after Louis and I had lunch that day,” Harry smiled at the memory, “I knew how I felt about him then, but the innocence makes sense too; it was the first time I’d realised that my magic would be an issue. He said something about magic being real, and he looked so sweet and innocent when I told him it wasn’t,” he sighed heavily, hanging his head to rest in his hands.

“Your magic isn’t an issue, H,” Niall said gently, “anyway, peonies.”

Harry answered immediately. “Romance, and before you ask, we’d just been on our second date and he came back to mine. I sent him a bunch of them when he was away to remind him how I felt, too.”

Niall laughed loudly, making Harry grin slyly in response. “So obvious, honestly. Okay, now…ah, trick. Lil’ cute fuckers.”

“Divine,” Harry answered softly, “I knew I was in love with him then.”

Niall returned his soft smile easily before moving on. “And finally, the thing that bought us here; hellebore.”

“Poison, to hurt – _oh,_ ” Harry started, and when he looked at Niall in disbelief, he’s already looking back at him, “I – I don’t really understand.”

“Me either, mate. I don’t know how you did it, but you’ve somehow managed to order flowers every week that directly link to your feelings about Louis,” Niall looked down at the list, tapping the pen against the floor, “it tells your story pretty well; admiration, how your feelings developed, your love, even now when you think you’ve ruined everything.”

Harry laughed, but it was biting and held no trace of humour. “I did ruin everything, Niall. I can’t fix it now, and I still don’t think it’s best for him.”

“Not really your decision to make for him though, is it?” Harry heard the words echoed back in his head in Louis’ voice from earlier, “just, think about it, okay? Speak to my parents, think it all through, and just remember,” Niall grabbed his face again, “you love each other. You’re _in_ love, the pair of you. It’ll all be okay.”

Harry let a tear fall down his cheek, watching as Niall wiped it away with a fond look on his face. “He still deserves not to be lied to,” he tried to argue, but Niall cut him off.

“Speak. To. My. Parents.” Harry snorted on a laugh before settling back to lean against the wall, staring at the shop in front of him as he took a swig of his Butterbeer. He saw from the corner of his eye as Niall did the same. “So it really wasn’t on purpose? The flowers?

“No,” Harry closed his eyes, breathing in the smell of the shop, leaning into the sharp stab of pain he felt when it reminded him of Louis’. He deserved to feel it. “Just felt drawn to them, I suppose. Louis has that affect.”

“And the roses and celosia?”

“Happy accident, I think.” Harry closed his eyes and let all the memories of Louis run through his head.

_Maybe it’ll be okay_

_Liar_

*****

Louis stared at the texts on his phone to Harry, all of them with no answer. It’d been three days since he saw Harry, and he’d messaged him every single one. He didn’t even know if he’d been getting his voice mail messages; maybe he’d blocked his number, maybe his phone was still off, but he realised that the second he started giving excuses, it just opened up parts of his chest where he still let himself hope. He ached, and the emptiness threatened to swallow him whole.

“Louis? I bought you some tea.”

He looked up to find Bebe standing in front of his desk, Steve lingering in the doorway. He flashed them both a small smile.

“Thank you,” he said as she put it in front of him, immediately moving to wrap his hands around the mug. It did nothing to take away the chill he still felt. He could see them watching him as he moved, and he groaned. “Please stop. I’m not okay; I’m not going to lie and say I am, but I will be.”

“We’re just sorry this happened,” Steve’s voice was sincere, and Bebe’s eyes were kind when he looked at her, “we know how you feel about him.”

Louis scoffed quietly and took a sip of his tea. “A bit ridiculous, ‘innit? I mean, I’ve only known him two months and I’m _this_ devastated?” he put his mug back down on his desk harshly and watched as tea slopped over the side. He hung his head in resignation and opened his desk drawer to get some paper towel. “Can you even fall in love like this in such a short amount of time?” He pulled a piece of paper out of his desk where it rested on top of everything, sat it on the surface, and grabbed the paper towel underneath. Bebe and Steve were silent as he mopped up the spill, threw the used piece in the bin, and chucked the roll back in the drawer. He slammed it shut and put his head in his hands.

He startled slightly when he felt Bebe’s hand on his shoulder. “It’s not supposed to make sense, Louis. Love doesn’t; it’s confusing, and it’s intense, and there’s no time frame for how long it takes,” she explained, and Louis’ heart hurt at the thought of all the time he’d had with Harry, and how there wouldn’t be any more. He saw Steve reach out and turn the paper from his drawer slightly so he could read it; he ignored the movement and focused back on Bebe as she continued. “You answered your own question, babe. Of course, you can fall in love in that amount of time; you did. You both did. You got to know him, and he got to know you and you both realised that was it. When you know, you know,” she finished simply, but all it did was cause tears to gather in the corners of Louis’ eyes. He tried to blink them back.

“He didn’t even explain. He just said that he couldn’t, that we’re too different, that we’d never work,” Louis whispered, feeling incredibly vulnerable sitting at his desk crying, “I told him we could fix it, whatever it was, but he wouldn’t – ” he broke off with a gasped sob, and Bebe reached across to take his hand and pass him a tissue. He cried into the tissue before blowing his nose, whispering a quick apology that Bebe waved off, and throwing it in the bin. “And I’m so worried about him, and how fucked is that? He broke _my_ heart, Bebe, he doesn’t get to be devastated! But the look on his face, God,” Louis choked up, squeezing his eyes shut to try and block out the anguished look on Harry’s face, “he hasn’t answered any of my messages, and Liam’s seen him since, but I haven’t seen Liam yet. I just need to know he’s okay.”

“Babe, even if he’s struggling like it sounds like he would be, it also sounds like from what you’ve told us that he has an amazing support network; he’ll be okay. We’re worried about _you,_ Louis. Is there anything we can do?” Bebe asked, squeezing his hand gently.

Louis smiled at her through his tears and wiped his cheeks again. “Just keep bringing me tea, and I’ll be right as rain before you know it. Maybe biscuits too,” he laughed, but the sound was hollow.

Bebe got up and walked towards the door, throwing back a lazy “Don’t say I don’t do anything for you! I’ll be back soon with sustenance!” Louis laughed quietly as she closed the door behind her, glancing up at Steve when he cleared his throat.

Steve passed the paper he’d been reading to Louis and stood up, brushing his hands down his slacks. Louis murmured his thanks, but when he saw what it was, he stopped breathing. It was the list he’d written a couple of weeks ago; comparisons scribbled all over the page, dot points of his scrawl covering the paper, and at the top – . He refused to look at Steve as he sat dumbly, staring instead at the paper on his desk.

“Louis.”

He didn’t look up.

“Louis.”

He risked a glance up at his boss, but when he saw the small smile on his face, he relaxed slightly. “This was just some – some stupid research I was doing f – for another book, don’t worry about it, I – ”

“ _Louis_.” He shut his mouth with an audible noise and braced himself for the comments that he thought were coming. “So, Harry said he couldn’t talk about, huh? Maybe he’s…caught by some specific…rules or guidelines,” Steve said nonchalantly, but Louis could tell he was trying to stress the point, “maybe he thinks you’re too different because there are things you couldn’t possibly know yet, and he’s scared what will happen when you find out. He might have a good explanation, Louis, and if he does, he’ll need your support now more than ever,” Steve quirked an eyebrow at him and lifted his jumper slightly as Louis struggled to wrap his head around the words. He somehow knew they made sense, but he couldn’t figure out why, too many memories swirling in his thoughts. “Think back, Louis. Are there any instances where you thought maybe something was just _slightly_ out of the ordinary, instances that you couldn’t really explain away? Maybe there’s an obvious reason that you’ve been purposefully avoiding.”

“It’s not logical, Steve,” he whispered, taking in the notes below as though he was only linking them with Harry properly for the first time, “it’s not.”

Steve chuckled, and Louis’ eyes shot up to meet his as he opened the door to leave. “Just because it’s not logical, doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Think, Louis. Don’t let him go because he’s afraid,” he turned to leave, and Louis gasped when he saw it; Steve’s jumper had lifted slightly to show the length of black, almost sculpted wood tucked into the waist of his slacks.

“Wait!” Steve turned back and Louis didn’t even take a breath, “that – that piece of wood, what is it? Harry had one like it once, tucked into his bun and I – please, what is it?”

Steve smiled at him as his eyes twinkled somehow in the dull office lights and fixed his clothing. “We’re all bound to some secrets, Louis, whether we want to be or not. Sometimes, you just need someone else to figure it out.” With a quick wink he was gone, and Louis was left alone to calm his racing heart.

“Pretend it’s normal, and look at the facts,” he murmured to himself, pulling out a blank piece of paper, “pretend it’s normal, and see if it makes sense.”

Two hours later, Louis had filled up three pages, front and back, with notes detailing every weird instance he’d had since Harry had come into his life. Bebe had sat quietly across from him, occasionally bringing him tea and biscuits but otherwise leaving him alone as he muttered to himself.

It was all so obvious now, and there was no turning back.

He realised he should’ve felt more shocked, maybe angry that he’d been lied to, but all he could focus on was how scared Harry must be if he was right, and how much he loved the stupid man. He also realised that he could be wrong, and he needed to be 100% sure before he rushed over to see him. There was also the overwhelming fear that regardless of whether he was right or not, Harry didn’t want him. He picked up his phone and messaged Liam to see if he could come around to his flat after work. He needed a drink, a curry, and his best mate before he tackled this head on.

When Liam turned up at his flat a few hours later, he put everything down, pulled Louis into a hug, and just held on. Louis squealed slightly, laughing as Liam picked him up off the floor.

“Payno, _Payno_ , put me down.”

Liam put him back on the ground, kissing him on the cheek as he grabbed their food. “How are you? You seem to be doing a little bit better,” Liam said, but his tone was cautious and his eyes worried.

“To be honest mate,” Louis sighed, trying to figure out how to explain the epiphany he’d had this afternoon, before he realised it definitely wasn’t his secret to tell, “I’ve been better. I’m gonna try and talk to him again. I’m really worried about him,” he finished quietly. He thanked Liam when he passed him a plate, the smell of the food making his stomach rumble. He opened a beer and took a swig before he continued, his voice dropping in volume. “I just – I need to know he’s okay. I love him so much, Liam.”

Liam sighed heavily, putting his noodles down to wrap his arm around Louis’ shoulders. “I know you do, Tommo. When I saw him, I was so angry; how could he do that to you, you know?” Louis snuggled into Liam’s side, so grateful for his overprotective friend. “But then he was _so_ upset, Louis. Proper devastated. I can tell he’s just as wrecked as you are, I don’t understand. Even the flowers somehow looked sad.”

Suddenly Louis was struck by an odd thought and he scrambled up off the couch, ignoring Liam’s confused noise and heading straight to the moonflower. As soon as he saw it, he gasped.

At least two feet of it had died. It seemed to be almost slumping over, the green leaves curled in on themselves, the brown leaves and dead vines hanging loosely from the table. Louis’ hands flew to cover his mouth as he sobbed, and he knew exactly what had caused it. He reached out a shaking  hand, touched one of the green leaves, and shivered when it almost seemed to push into his touch. He trailed his fingers up to touch one of the dead vines, and he cried out in disbelief as he watched the spot he was touching turn green under his fingertip. The dark colour seemed to spread up the vine slowly, travelling through the stems and bringing every leaf it touched back to life.

Louis thought about how distressed Harry must be for this to happen, and as soon as he did, the plant stopped, staying stagnant once more. “No, no, no,” Louis whispered, running his palms gently over the flowers, stifling a sound of disappointment when it did nothing but vibrate slightly.

“Oh Louis, I’m so sorry. I know he gave that to you.”

Louis whipped around to stare at Liam as he stood behind him, his puppy dog eyes seeming conflicted.

“It’s okay, Li. I’m going to fix this. We’re going to be okay.”

He knew Harry was scared, that he thought he couldn’t be honest even though he clearly wanted to tell Louis everything, but they loved each other, and Louis knew now, and everything would be okay.

They weren’t over. He just had to tell Harry he still loved him. He hoped he wasn’t too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	9. Hydrangea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Horan's, a wild goose chase, and a desperate kiss

Harry groaned from where he was lying on the ground, his head hitting the lawn beneath him hard. He could hear Niall chuckling above him before he squinted his eyes open to find him offering his hand. He sighed, grasping Niall’s hand in his and hauling himself to his feet with a grunt.

“Ya know, you’ve apparated enough that it just shouldn’t be this much of a thing anymore, mate,” Niall snickered, watching as Harry cleaned his clothes with a _scourgify_. He shot him a glare, flipping him off as he turned to walk the front door of Niall’s childhood home. “Just sayin’.”

Harry pouted slightly, his bottom lip slipping out. “You know it’s harder for me when it’s over long distances, especially when we go through security wards.” He knocked on the door quickly before letting himself in, Niall laughing behind him. They wandered upstairs and Harry branched off to the guest room he always stayed in when he came to the Horan’s. Niall followed him, throwing himself on the bed as Harry pulled a tiny suitcase from his pocket. “When did you say your parents would be back?” he asked, drawing his wand out and watching the suitcase grow in size after a stern _engorgio_. He rifled through it to find his phone charger, connecting it to his phone and then the wall, watching as the battery icon came up against the black screen. He still hadn’t turned his phone back on, but when he’d gone to call his mum earlier that day, he’d realised it’d died completely.

“Tomorrow morning,” Niall replied, his feet swinging happily off the end of the bed, “are ya gonna call your mum when your phone’s back on?”

Harry glanced at it, pressing the lock button and frowning when it still hadn’t turned on. “Yeah. I don’t know how long it’s been properly dead for though, so it might take a little while.”

“Alright, well I’m gonna be downstairs, yeah? Just come down whenever you’re ready,” Niall said, clapping Harry’s shoulder as he walked past and out the door.

Harry sat heavily on the bed and looked around the room, a smile forming quickly on his face. He got up and walked slowly around the walls, running his fingers over the memories hung there; a Gryffindor pennant flag that they’d taken to quidditch matches as they bundled themselves up in red and gold scarfs, the certificate to say Niall had passed his NEWTs. He grinned, waving at a number of photos that showcased Harry and Niall through the years; a photo of them in first year, wide eyed and eager; a shot from third year in Hogsmeade, snow falling around them; a photo from fifth year of them down by the lake, the Giant Squid waving its tentacles lazily in the background; and finally, them in seventh year wrapped in dress robes at graduation, Harry’s hair making him look like a small lion and Niall’s the colour of the sun. His grin widened when they all waved back at him. He moved on and found a Hogwarts scarf hanging over the end bedpost, and a shelf of mementos including the first pocket watch Niall had managed to transfigure into a dormouse next to a copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. He was pulled from his memories when his phone vibrated as it turned back on, and he stood glued to the spot as it caught up on the last week.

His phone seemed to be vibrating non-stop, the noise travelling through the air as notification after notification registered on the device. He cautiously moved towards it as he waited before it stopped, laying stationary on the bedside table once more. He took a deep breath and looked.

_Sunshine_

_28 Text Messages_

_Sunshine_

_10 Missed Calls_

_Sunshine_

_6 Voice Mail Messages_

_Mum_

_9 Text Messages_

_Mum_

_4 Missed Calls_

_Nick Grimshaw_

_3 Missed Calls_

_Ed Sheeran_

_2 Missed Calls_

The notifications went on and on as he scrolled through and saw Adam, Sarah, and Mitch among the names, but his mind was stuck on the 28 texts from Louis, so he scrolled back up, curled up on his side over the duvet, and went to open them before a sob burst from his throat. He couldn’t do it, it was too hard. He couldn’t handle reading anything from Louis; he knew it would destroy him to read the words that no doubt spelled out how hurt, angry, and upset he was, and all because of Harry.

His finger hovered over the voicemail icon before he shook his head wildly, curls falling into his face and resting against his wet cheeks. Hearing his voice would be _infinitely_ worse. _But at least you could hear him one more time._ Harry cried in frustration; why the _fuck_ couldn’t his brain just make up its mind? Before he could second guess himself, he went to close out of the voicemail screen.

He pressed the button to call it instead.

His heart leapt into his throat as he put it on speaker, placing his phone on the bed so he could fiddle with his fingers. He felt so sick that he was dizzy, but he burrowed down into the pillow and closed his eyes as he listened to the messages.

The first five were all from last week, and every single one felt like it was tearing Harry open until he was so raw and vulnerable that the pillow beneath his face was drenched with his tears. He was crying so much at the absolute devastation in Louis’ voice, the way he sounded so desperate to talk to  him, how Harry could almost hear the tears through the tinny phone speaker as they fell, that he only managed to catch snippets of each one.

**_ ‘Message received last Monday at 12:32pm’ _ **

_‘Hi Haz, it’s me. I just want to make sure you’re okay…haven’t answered my calls…switched off?...miss you, darling…call me back…please’_

**_ ‘Message received Tuesday at 6:04pm’ _ **

_‘…please, don’t do this…never been happier Bambi…can do this, I know we…love you…please’_

**_ ‘Message received Wednesday at 3:28am’ _ **

_‘Hi Bambi…sorry for all the messages and…can’t SLEEP, I can’t…picturing your face yesterday and I…please…I love you…don’t do this…please’_

**_ ‘Message received Wednesday at 9:10am’ _ **

_‘Sorry if I woke you last…been two months but…it for me, Bambi…can’t do this…I’m not strong enough…I love you…please’_

**_ ‘Message received Thursday at 5:58pm’ _ **

_‘Hi…know I’m bothering you…so sorry, Haz…I’ll stop calling…miss you more than…I love you so much…’_

Harry body wracked with sobs as he cried, not even bothering to attempt to dry his face; there was no point. He drew further into himself when he heard the robotic voice start up again, this time with today’s date. Harry’s eyes flew back open, and he sat up to listen more intently.

**_ ‘Message received today at 8:32am’ _ **

_‘Hi Bambi. I know I said I wouldn’t call you anymore, but I’ve realised a lot in the last few days. I need to talk to you, we need to talk. If you don’t want me anymore, then that’s something I’ll have to come to terms with, but darling. If you do, then we’re going to be okay, yeah? I know we will be, and I can feel it bone deep, just like I can feel where you’ve completely burrowed into my heart. I’m going to come and see you, Harry, if that’s okay. Please let me know if it isn’t, I NEVER want to make you uncomfortable but, my love. We’re going to be okay. I love you so much, and I’ll see you soon. Bye, Bambi.’_

“ _Louis,”_ Harry wept, scrambling to disconnect the voice call before it played again. He didn’t understand; he obviously hadn’t figured out the real reason, but Louis had sounded so confident in the fact that they’d be okay that Harry let himself believe it for a moment. He hiccupped, closing his eyes and letting his mind wander.

Maybe he could apparate back right now, straight to Louis’, and knock on his door. He’d bring flowers, and Louis would open the door looking warm and cosy in his grey sweatpants and a tank top, and Harry wouldn’t be able to keep in the words any longer as he told him he loved him. Harry would want to talk first, of course, but it wouldn’t happen. They’d fall into each other, kissing so passionately that Harry’s toes would curl, and then he’d take Louis to bed and remind him how much he loved him, how much they belonged together, how sorry he was for breaking them. Then they’d finally talk for hours until they were so wrapped up in each other and smiling between kisses that nothing could ruin them again. The tears had stopped before he even realised, and he was smiling into his pillow.

Harry suddenly jolted; _fuck, what was he doing?_ He _loved_ Louis, loved him so much that he couldn’t believe he’d done this. Fuck, what did he do now? The magic issue would still keep coming up, but he _loved him,_ and Louis _loved him back_ and they could work on it, right? He fell back on the bed with a whimper, opposing thoughts colliding in his head. No, Louis deserved more than to be lied to – but if he wanted Harry, wasn’t that okay? He could know eventually – would that be enough?

Without wasting another second, he picked up his phone where it was still charging and dialled. It was answered on the second ring.

_“Harry?”_

“Mum,” he whispered, “mum, I think I did something stupid and I don’t know if I can fix it. Or maybe I did the right thing, but even if I did, is it supposed to hurt _this much?_ I don’t know what to do, I -”

_“Baby. Hang on a second. What’s happened? Are you okay? Where are you?”_

“I’m at the Horan’s, everyone at work told me to take a few days off to just,” he stopped and fiddled with the corner of the pillow, “take some time to myself. I also have to talk to Maura and Bobby about something.”

 _“Is Niall there with you? What’s happened? Your phone’s been off, and I’ve tried to call,”_ Her voice was soft and full of concern, and Harry felt a pang in his chest.

He laid back down, throwing one hand under his head where it rested on the pillow. “Niall’s here, and I know. I’m sorry, I just needed to turn it off for a while,” he sighed. “Mum, I ruined things with Louis. Everything’s been amazing, and then we had an incredible weekend, and at the end he told me that he was so thankful that he’d met me and that he felt like he knew everything about me, and that he loved how honest I’d been with him this whole time,” he felt tears welling up in his eyes again and he wiped them away angrily as he continued, “but he’s _doesn’t_ know me, mum. I’ve been lying to him this _whole time_ about being a wizard and my magic, and I’d have to keep lying to him and he just – he deserves better than me. So I broke up with him,” he finished with a whisper.

There was silence on the end of the phone for a beat until Anne spoke again. _“He does know you though, petal. Your magic doesn’t change how kind you are, or how generous. It doesn’t change how much you care for people, and how you love. Magic didn’t create your sense of humour, or your talents with flowers, or the way that you treat not just Louis, but everyone around you,”_ Harry sniffed as he felt his heart rate calm, _“he wants to be with you because of who you are as a person, and that would be the same whether you had your magic or not.”_

“But I’ve lied to him, mum.”

 _“There’s a big difference between lying to further your cause or to deceive someone, and having to lie because of laws and regulations set by an entire governing body for literally the sake of the wizarding world. Petal, you didn’t have a choice when it comes to this, and Louis sounds like a logical enough person that he’ll understand when the time comes.”_ Harry could hear her puttering around the kitchen, and he wished he could smell whatever she was cooking. _“I obviously don’t know how this all works, being a muggle myself,”_ Harry giggled through his tears and could hear the smile in her voice when she next spoke, _“but I assume these relationships happen all the time.”_

“That makes sense actually,” Harry said quietly. He stayed silent for a minute while his mum waited patiently on the other end of the line, “he said he loves me.”

The reply was immediate. _“Do you love him?”_

“So much.”

_“Then you can figure it out, and it’ll all be okay. I promise, love. Oh! Isn’t Niall’s dad a muggle? You could chat to him and Maura about their experience.”_

“That’s actually why I’m here,” Harry answered with a smile on his face, “they’re coming back home tomorrow.”

_“That’s great, Harry. I’m sure they’ll be able to talk you through it for when you go back to see Louis.”_

Harry paused before he spoke again, his stomach churning. “What if I’ve ruined it though? What if he doesn’t want me anymore?” His voice broke on the last work and he heard his mum made a soft sound.

_“The best thing you can ever do is try, petal. The best thing.”_

Harry let a single tear run down his cheek. “I should’ve called you last week if I knew you’d be _this_ helpful,” he joked, wiping the tear away with his sleeve.

 _“I’m always helpful, you bloody pain,”_ she laughed, _“and while I think of it – you do deserve him, Harry. You deserve so much. Please don’t be so down on yourself.”_

“Thank you, mum,” he murmured as he stood up to stretch, “I should go make sure Niall hasn’t wrecked something.”

_“Alright, call me after you’ve spoken to Louis, and make sure you bring him around for dinner so we can meet him properly.”_

Harry grinned as he said goodbye and walked down the stairs to see Niall. He looked up at Harry as he walked in and looked relieved to see the small smile on his face.

“How’d you go with your mum, H? Everything all good?”

Harry smiled wider at him as he threw himself down on the couch, laying down to rest him head in Niall’s lap. “I think we can do it, Ni. I just have to talk to your parents, find out all the proper specifics, you know?”

Niall whooped loudly, scaring Harry enough that he yelped. “Fuck yes, mate! I hoped you’d figure it out! What made you change your mind?” Harry laughed as Niall’s wriggling jostled him.

“I love him. It’s worth the risk.”

*****

The sound of the floo startled Harry and Niall where they sat, playing wizard’s chess as Harry’s bishop shattered Niall’s queen.

“Aw man,” Niall sighed, but his eyes lit up when he looked to the floo and saw his parents. He bounded up out of his chair and Harry watched with a wide grin and slight chuckle as he threw himself into their arms. He watched fondly as they all hugged, loud choruses of ‘I missed you’ and ‘it’s so good to see you, buddy’ being tossed around the room. He stood up and made his way over to them, greeting both of them with a tight hug.

Maura and Bobby had become like second parents during Harry’s time at Hogwarts, and he hadn’t seen both of them in months. As they dropped their luggage in their room, Harry put the kettle on and organised tea and coffee for them all. When they all met back up in the living room and Maura had filled the boys in on the trip they’d taken, there was a small lull until Bobby spoke up.

“So, Harry. We hear that there’s something you want to talk to us about.”

Harry fidgeted slightly in his seat, popping his cup down on the side table before folding his hands in his lap and facing them both head on. He sighed, looking down at the rings on his fingers as he spun them back and forth.

“Yeah, I,” he cleared his throat, and when he looked back up, all three of them were looking at him fondly, “I’m just gonna cut to the chase. How did the two of you deal with Maura being a witch at the start of your relationship?”

Maura smiled at him and shared an amused look with Bobby. “I assume you’re asking for a reason, dear. We’re more than happy to share our story, but it might help if we know what’s going on in that head of yours.”

“I’ve fallen in love,” Harry replied quietly, “his name’s Louis, and he’s incredible. I know that he’s it for me, even though it’s only been two months.” He huffed out a laugh and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He tucked his hands under his chin and focused on the fireplace. “He started coming into work, and it hardly even crossed my mind that he was a muggle. We went on a couple of dates and we were talking every day, and I fell in love with him so quickly that I don’t even know how it happened.”

“What’s gotten you so concerned now?” Bobby asked gently.

“My magic started acting up around him, and suddenly there were things happening that I couldn’t control. Then Nick mentioned to me about this young guy his parents knew that had gotten into a lot of trouble with the Ministry for telling his muggle girlfriend too soon. He ended up in Azkaban, _Azkaban,_ and all just because he fell in love. It started putting all these doubts in my head, and then Louis and I had this incredible weekend, but at the end,” Harry sighed heavily, the memories hurting him more than he’d admit, “he was saying how happy he was because he felt like he _really_ knew me because I’d been so honest with him. I had a pretty intense panic attack when I realised he thought I was something I wasn’t, and I’d been lying to him this whole time.”

Maura looked at him with a wry smile. “That sounds familiar.” Bobby let out a small chuckle, and Niall seemed content to just listen.

Harry smiled at them as he continued. “I just…turned off my phone, and then he came into the shop. I broke up with him, and it was awful because I didn’t _want_ to, but I thought I was doing the right thing,” he admitted.

“You don’t think it’s the right thing anymore?” Maura asked, shifting slightly to pour herself more tea from the pot on the coffee table.

“I spoke to mum, and she made me feel so much better. I love him, he loves me, and I know there are successful wizard/muggle relationships,” he sat back more comfortably in his chair, “the thing now is that I know I’m going to talk to Louis and see if he’ll take me back.” Niall made a noise of triumph from his seat, and Harry grinned at him. “I just have to know what it’s going to be like, and that it’s okay to hide this from him.”

Niall’s parents shared an undecipherable look before they both looked at Harry. It was Bobby who spoke first, much to Harry’s surprise.

“I’m just going to get this out of the way, because it’s going to hit you the hardest I think,” he said seriously, and Harry nodded as he swallowed harshly. “When I found out, we’d been together for three years, and after the initial shock wore off,” he stopped to take a deep breath, his eyes apologetic where they locked with Harry’s, “I was so angry and torn up. I _did_ feel like I’d been lied to the whole time and that Maura hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me. It almost broke us up.” Harry made a sad noise in the back of his throat, but Bobby pressed on. “I felt like everything had been a bit of a joke, and then I got crushed with the feeling that I wasn’t good enough for someone as special as Maura, but Harry. We talked about it a lot and once I understood why, it was much easier to wrap my head around. It worked because we loved each other, _love_ each other, and honestly? It was unreal to see magic for the first time,” he grinned as the comment eased the tension that had built in the room.

“Is it something you still carry with you? The feeling of being lied to, or the sense that you’re not good enough?” Harry asked.

“Definitely not,” he answered instantly. “We’re so far past it and have been for a very long time.”

Harry nodded and sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. He glanced up at Maura, and she raised an eyebrow and smiled at him.

“Okay, my turn. I was terrified. I had no idea what to do, and I felt the same things you do; guilt, anxiety, the whole lot, but I loved him too much to give him up. It was also a different time back then, Harry, which is something you need to remember.” When Harry looked up at her curiously, she happily added to the explanation. “It wasn’t ‘the norm’ to be with a muggle back when we were young, but if you were, it was definitely normal to not tell them for _years._ Some muggle partners didn’t find out for 10-15 years, and that would’ve been a much larger shock! We were lucky I was so stubborn, in that aspect.” She looked proud at the thought, and Harry let out a small chuckle. “I told him because I was sick of hiding who I was, and after we sorted ourselves out, everything was perfect. Then I got pulled into the Ministry for questioning.”

Harry gasped and almost missed Niall apologising and leaving the room to answer his phone. “Why? What happened?”

Maura laughed lightly. “Patience, Harry. It was someone from the Secrecy department, and I was so scared when I sat down for the interview! But it was fine, in the end. They weren’t overly thrilled that I’d spilled the beans, but they just told me what we could and couldn’t do, that we couldn’t tell Bobby’s immediate family, all that kind of common sense stuff.”

“So, no Azkaban?”

“No Azkaban, dear,” she frowned slightly, “and I’ve never heard of that happening. It seems very strange.”

“You said it’s different now. How?”

“In _so many ways_ , dear. It’s nowhere near as stigmatised anymore, and there’s more acceptance than ever. The wizarding war changed a lot of things, Harry. This particular thing for the better.”

Harry exhaled deeply and nodded again. “What happens if something goes wrong?”

“You can’t think like that,” Bobby answered with a soft shake of his head. “Even if it does though, the Ministry has a specific department and precautions in place to handle it. You and Louis will be fine, Harry, even if it doesn’t seem it right now. If you’re meant to be together, it’ll all work out.”

Harry had to smile at his optimism even as tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, but if he was being honest, it really was helping. He felt entirely too calm about the whole situation now and was almost desperate to get back to London and see Louis. “So, I should try? Louis and I, we should try?”

Maura leaned forward as she took Bobby’s hand in hers where it sat next to her. “I’ve never regretted a single thing, Harry. Take a chance, before it’s too late.”

“Thank you,” he choked out as the tears fell, and suddenly he was being hugged fiercely. They all pulled away, and Maura held his face in her hands. “Really, thank you so much.”

While they stood there smiling at each other, Niall suddenly burst back into the room.

“Harry, mate,” he looked up at Niall in slight alarm. His tone was serious, but he was still beaming. “I just heard from my friend who was looking into your magic being weird.”

Harry’s heart thumped in his chest. “And?”

“You need to go and see Louis.”

*****

“Thanks Ed, they’re perfect.”

Ed grinned at him as he handed him the bouquet. “Anytime, mate. I’m just glad I got your message in time to order them. They’re gorgeous this time of year. Where are you off to?”

Harry smiled down at the bunch of blue hydrangeas in his hands. It was exactly what he’d hoped for when he’d texted Ed last night, and the man had definitely delivered. “I’m going to see Louis. I know it’s a bit late in the afternoon, but I’m hoping he’ll still be at work.”

“I should tell you; he came into the shop this morning looking for you.”

Harry mouth dropped open. “Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Last thing I knew, you’d broken up with him!” Ed raised his hands in self-defence, and Harry groaned in defeat, “he looked put out that you weren’t here, but then he got his normal bouquet for his mum and left. I don’t know if he’s at work today though; he wasn’t wearing a suit, and he was heading straight to his mum’s, I think.”

“Okay, I’ll try his work anyway. Thanks mate, I’ll see you next week,” Harry called as he walked out the door.

“Next week?” Ed yelled from behind him, and he stuck his head back through the door to answer.

“Yeah! Either way, whether it goes well enough that I don’t want to leave his side or bad enough that I don’t want any human contact, I won’t be in,” Harry grinned, waving as Ed’s laughter followed him out the door. He just needed to find Louis now.

As he walked to Louis’ work, he had to push down the feeling of terror that kept trying to get through. _He deserves better than you, he –_

“Oh, fuck off,” Harry muttered to himself, smiling apologetically at an old woman that looked at him in shock. As he rounded the corner to Louis’ office building, he realised that the voice in the back of his head had left. He knew it wouldn’t always be that way, but for now, everything was okay. As Harry glanced around the base of the building, he didn’t see Louis down having a cigarette, so he opened the glass doors that led inside.

Then he did a double take and stepped away from the door.

Standing less than 10 metres away, looking at him with that same damn twinkle in his eyes, was someone he hadn’t seen since Hogwarts but would recognise anywhere. He laughed, shaking his head as he walked over to him and drew him into a tight hug.

“Harry, how are you? It’s been a while.”

“Professor Aoki! It has,” Harry smiled, adjusting the bouquet in his arms, “I haven’t seen you since my Muggle Studies exam, I don’t think.”

“Please, call me Steve. It’s been years since you were in school. How have you been?” Steve finished the last of his cigarette and with a twist of his fingers, the butt vanished.

“I’ve been okay,” Harry answered honestly. “Are you still trying to pass for 40-something?” he teased, laughing when a hand swatted at him good naturedly.

Steve smiled at him, but Harry felt like there was something he knew that Harry didn’t. “Of course I am, you little menace. Now, what are you doing at the bottom of the my editing building holding flowers?”

“I’m looking for someone, actually. I made an awful mistake with someone I love, and I’m trying to fix it,” he smiled softly at Steve, who returned the gesture easily. “Actually, he’s an editor too! That’s strange.”

“That depends – are you looking for Louis?”

Harry mouth fell open as he gaped at Steve. Surely not. Surely the Steve that Louis talked about, his boss Steve, wasn’t his old _Hogwarts Professor._ “I – I, what? How is this even possible?” he whispered, but Steve just grinned at him.

“He’s not in today, I’m sorry Styles. I’m not even sure where he is,” he added, and he looked sincerely apologetic when Harry finally closed his mouth.

“I – that’s okay, thank you sir. I’m sure I’ll find him,” he replied, still dumbfounded as a thousand questions rattled around his head. Now probably wasn’t the time to ask. “I should go though, try and find out where he is.”

Steve pulled out another cigarette and lit it with a snap of his fingers as Harry watched on, amused. “He’ll turn up, I’m sure. He’s a good one, Harry. Take care of him, yeah? I assume we’ll be seeing a bit of each other soon,” Harry nodded, gripping the flowers tightly as he hugged his old professor and turned to walk away. “Oh, Harry?” he stopped, turning back with a questioning look, “please don’t call me ‘sir’ again.”

Harry cackled, waving his apology as he turned and walked away. Over the next three hours, he went everywhere he could think where Louis might be; his flat, the café they’d had lunch weeks ago, the library where he knew Louis loved to go on quiet days. He went to the park near Louis’ work where he sometimes sat for lunch, his favourite restaurant, and (filled with misguided hope), his own flat and the Lone Hydrangea. He sighed when he was back at his flat, placing the flowers gently down on kitchen bench. He’d even tried to call Louis, but his phone seemed to be off. He was just about to give up for the day, remembering that Ed had said he was going straight to his mum’s, when he thought he’d try just once more.

“Can’t hurt,” Harry murmured, picking up the flowers with a low exhale. With a quick pop, he found himself standing right in front of Louis’ door. He groaned, eyes darting up and down the hallway to make sure no-one had seen him appear from nowhere. He’d been trying to apparate just around the corner, but alas. Maybe his magic was yearning for Louis as much as the rest of him. He took a deep breath and knocked, waiting patiently as his heart thudded painfully in his chest. After an exceptionally silent ten seconds, in which Harry swore he could hear his own heartbeat, he knocked again. “Louis?” he called warily. He knocked once more, a quick three taps of his knuckles against the wood before he finally admitted defeat and trudged back down the stairs. He sat down heavily on the steps leading up to the building, putting the bouquet carefully next to him and hanging his head in his hands.

He didn’t really know where to go from here. He could always try again tomorrow; maybe Louis’ phone would be charged then, or he’d be back at work, and he could steal a moment of his attention to organise a time for them to sit and talk it out. He let himself cry silently as he thought back on what he’d thrown away, on what there was every possibility he’d lost forever. As the darker feelings threatened to come back to the surface, he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on the light. Louis’ face when he smiled so wide that his eyes crinkled. Louis’ voice when he talked about his work, passion shining through in every word. The fond face Louis made when Harry did something ridiculous. The incredible way he looked when he fell apart under Harry’s body and hands. The way that he made Harry breathless every time he so much as looked at him. His mind feeling slightly lighter, he stood, picking up the bouquet and clambering to his feet. He sighed, lifting his eyes from the pavement as his feet hit the sidewalk, and when he looked up, he froze where he stood.

Louis was standing in front of him, hands tucked into the pockets of a large, black hoodie. He was wearing grey sweatpants and his black Vans, his fringe swept delicately across his face, and Harry would’ve cried at the sight if he wasn’t so taken aback. Harry noticed that he looked tired; no, _exhausted_ , but standing in front of him now after everything that had happened, he looked so beautiful that Harry choked on a sob.

“Louis,” he started, pausing when he realised that he didn’t know what to say, “Louis, I’m so – ”

“What are you doing here, Harry?” Louis cut him off, and Harry panicked slightly until he realised that Louis’ tone wasn’t angry, merely curious.

He took a tentative step closer and delighted when Louis didn’t move back. “I – I got your message, and I had to see you. I’ve been looking for you all day – I went to your work but you weren’t there, and I came here but you weren’t home and then I went to all the places I thought you might be,” Harry knew he was rambling, but having Louis so close to him again was making his body hum from his magic, and he couldn’t stop, “I even went to my flat and the shop hoping you were there, but I couldn’t find you.”

Louis was quiet when he spoke. “I was there. At your flat, I mean, and the shop, and maybe a hundred other places. We must’ve just been missing each other,” he smiled wryly at Harry, and his heart was beating wildly in his chest, “you hurt me so much, Harry.”

His heart sank at Louis’ words, and he felt a tear run down his own face when he noticed Louis was already crying. “I _know_ , Merlin I know, and I’m _so sorry_ Louis, I made a mistake.”

“A mistake? So you know now that – that it was stupid? That you should’ve just _talked_ to me about it?” Louis asked, and his voice sounded surer with every word.

“Yeah, Lou,” Harry breathed, “I love you, I love you so much and I’m so sorry that I hurt you.” Harry’s felt cold when he saw tears streaming freely down Louis’ face now.

“Fuck, I love you too.”

Before Harry could even begin to think of a response, Louis was barrelling into him and crashing their mouths together. He let out a low groan, wrapping his arms tightly around Louis’ waist as he drew him flush against his chest, the flowers pressed against Louis’ back. Their lips parted and Harry slid his tongue forward to meet Louis’, whining at the taste of him; tea and biscuits and something else that was undeniably _Louis._ He felt warm all over, like every cell in his body recognised the man plastered to his chest as they kissed slowly on the street. Louis’ hands gripped Harry’s shirt tightly, pulling to draw them even closer together, but Harry broke away with a soft sound.

“Louis, I can’t, not now, there’s so much - ,” he broke off as Louis’ face crumpled, stumbling back when small hands pushed at his chest.

“What do you _mean_ you can’t, Harry? I thought you were here because you _want_ me, because you _love_ me, because we’re worth fighting for!” Louis cried out, his hands clenching at his sides.

Harry rushed to calm him. “No Louis, that is why I’m here, but you don’t understand; there’s _so much_ you don’t know, and there’s always going to be some things that I can’t tell you and it could easily make you hate me, even years down the line. We’re so different, Louis, and I want to be able to get past it, but I’m scared that it’s too much.”

“Are you serious, Harry? Do you honestly think I don’t know?” Louis let out a bitter laugh. Harry couldn’t move, didn’t want to in fear of reaching out and touching him again, but Louis surprised him by continuing. “But the difference is that I don’t _care_ , Haz. Just fucking kiss me again Bambi, I swear to God.”

There was no way Louis could actually know, and Harry stared at him without moving as Louis held eye contact, daring him to run away again. He was done running, though. “Lou, I’m not trying to make you sound like an idiot, but there’s just _no way_ you could possibly know what it is. You won’t love me anymore when you find out – ”

“I know you’re a wizard, Harry.”

The words rang through Harry’s head, echoing harshly as he scrambled to make sense of it all. His mind kept coming up blank, though; how had this happened? How had Louis, his beautiful Louis, figured out something that thousands of people had tried to before when they’d only known each other two months? He was so lost in his own thoughts that he was startled when he realised Louis had moved to stand directly in front of him. Louis lifted his hand and brushed a curl behind Harry’s ear, smiling when Harry nuzzled into the touch.

“How?” Harry whispered, turning to place a gentle kiss on Louis’ palm.

“We should go inside, love,” Louis ran his hand down to settle at Harry’s waist, and Harry let out a watery laugh when Louis grinned at him, “there’s so much we have to talk about.”

Harry nodded as he cupped Louis’ face in his hands, pressing gentle kisses to his eyelids when they fluttered closed. He nosed down Louis’ cheek, one hand sliding around to cup the back of Louis’ head. He couldn’t contain the grin that overtook his face; Louis already _knew_ , and he didn’t _care_ , and he was still _here_ , and he still _loved him._ He pressed a soft kiss to the corner of Louis’ mouth, tightening his grip slightly when Louis sighed, and then shifted to press their lips together firmly. They kept it light and chaste, their lips moving softly together as they clung to each other.

Harry let out a small sound when Louis pulled back, heart feeling so full when Louis smiled at him, leaning forward for another small peck. “C’mon love, let’s go upstairs. We need to talk,” Louis said, breaking away to tangle their fingers together. They walked in silence, Harry’s hands gripping tightly onto Louis’ and the bouquet. He paused when Louis unlocked the door, pressing a kiss to Louis’ temple.

They stepped in the flat, and the door closed behind them with a soft _click._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!   
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	10. Moonflower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations, expectations, and love

They were both silent as Harry watched Louis move around the flat, turning lights on and heading into the kitchen. Harry felt slightly relaxed, even though his pulse was racing, and he realised that gorgeous floral scent still hung in the air. Between that and the way his magic was happily running through his veins at his proximity to Louis, he felt calm when he followed him into the kitchen. Louis flicked the switch to brighten the rest of the open space, and Harry’s heart fell into his stomach. “ _Oh_.”

The large room was filled with flowers. There were bouquets on almost every surface, standing up tall and vibrant in all different types of glasses and random vessels. Harry could see one vase, but the rest seemed to consist of water glasses, a coffee mug, a tall plastic container, and even a wine bottle. Harry felt his hand fall slightly as he slowly made his way around the counter, absentmindedly setting the bunch of hydrangeas on the kitchen bench, and that’s when he realised. There they all were in a wash of colours, and he could recognise them all; the red celosia, the pink peony & dahlia, the yellow sunflower, white daisy, blue seaholly and green hellebore and trick. The only one missing was the one Ed had given him today; even the bouquet of trick on its own that Harry had bought for their date was there. Not only had all of his arrangements stayed alive after all these weeks, but Louis had _kept them._ All of them. He spun around to look at Louis with his mouth hanging open to find Louis already watching him cautiously.

“You kept them,” Harry whispered as he slowly circled to look at them all again, “ _all_ of them, you kept _all_ of them. I don’t understand.” His voice stayed soft as he struggled to take it in, and when he was hit with a waft of florals, he realised this was what was causing Louis’ flat to smell like his shop.  

Louis took a deep breath and came around to stand next to Harry, keeping his distance but reaching out to tangle their fingers together. Harry’s heart thumped in his chest as he stared down at Louis, and _how_ did he almost give this up? He was so beautiful, and Harry couldn’t take his eyes off of him as Louis stared at the flowers. Harry had just twisted to cup Louis’ face when he started to talk.

“It’s why I didn’t want you to pick me up for mini golf, and why I panicked slightly when you asked me about pot pourri,” Louis said, a wry smile on his lips and a slight tremor in his voice. Harry squeezed his hand, smiling softly at Louis when he looked up and continued. “They were hiding in my study the night you came here, because even though I don’t know shit about plants, I knew something was different, and I didn’t want to risk the relationship we’d been building.” Louis pulled on Harry’s hand slightly and moved towards the dining table, and Harry sat opposite him before tangling their feet together. “I didn’t even realise something was wrong, at first. Liam had to tell me that flowers didn’t just _do_ that,” Louis grinned as Harry barked out a laugh, and Harry couldn’t stop himself from reaching across the table to entwine their fingers, his thumb rubbing smooth circles into the skin. “I only have one vase, so I had to kind of improvise with the rest.”

Harry’s mind was whirring, thoughts travelling through at what felt a breakneck pace. “I love that you have them, that you wanted to keep them,” Harry reassured him, taking one of Louis’ dainty hands in both of his and watching as he seemed to inhale shakily, “but I still don’t understand. If the flowers were for you this whole time, why did you tell me they were for your mum?” He leant across to kiss Louis’ knuckles quickly when he saw his face fall, and braced himself slightly for the answer. Louis seemed to be struggling with a response, and Harry squeezed his hand tighter when Louis’s head hung forward to stare at the table top. “You don’t have to tell me, sweetheart,” the endearment slipped out, but Harry powered through, “I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me.”

“It’s alright darling, I want to tell you, I just – ” Louis sighed, lifting his head and looking into Harry’s eyes, “it’s just a lot.”

“I’ll wait however long you need me to,” Harry responded quietly, smiling at Louis softly. He let his eyes wander around the room, taking in the photos and art on the walls until Louis interrupted his musings, and Harry’s eyes swung back to look at him.

“Okay, please don’t say anything until I’m done, otherwise I won’t get through it. Please don’t apologise, or talk about it after I’m done, or anything, okay? I just need to tell you so you know,” Louis warned as Harry nodded quickly. Louis took a deep breath, let out a loud exhale, sat up straighter, and bought his other hand up to hold both of Harry’s. “A couple of years ago, mum got really sick. She had cancer, and we almost lost her.” Harry suddenly felt cold all over and gripped Louis’ hand tightly. Louis smiled at him, but it was sad as he continued. “She didn’t tell us she was sick because she wanted to protect us, I think. One day, I went to take some flowers to her work just because, but they told me she was at the hospital, and shouldn’t I know that?” Louis laughed, but the sound was bitter. “I swear, I must’ve broken so many laws to get there as quick as possible, and when I did, she was hooked up to all these machines and I just – ” Louis swallowed harshly and closed his eyes as tears ran down his face. Harry got up with a soft noise and moved to sit next to him, cupping his face in his hands and wiping them away, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “It became a thing, after that. I think I just needed to keep seeing that she was alive, and okay. As she went through treatment, I’d bring her flowers every Wednesday, and take away the old, dying ones. When she got out of hospital, I just kept doing it, and I used to just grab the dying flowers to throw in the bin as I left,” Louis explained, nuzzling down into Harry’s touch and pressing a quick kiss to his wrist, “but when I started getting flowers from you, they were still completely alive, as if I’d only just bought them. I didn’t want to throw them out, especially because they were from you, so I just started bringing them home, and well. That’s what this is, I suppose.”

Harry had to hold back a million apologies, a million supportive words, a million questions. He searched Louis’ face intently before he just leant forward to carefully brush their lips together. He pulled back almost immediately, ignoring the small noise of protest from Louis, and ran both hands through Louis’ hair, staring at the soft brown strands as they slipped through his fingers. “They’re only alive because of you,” Harry whispered, avoiding eye contact as Louis made a questioning sound, “they’re only still alive because of how strongly I feel about you.”

“What do you mean?” Louis asked, and when Harry had the courage to look down at his face, he could see the love and affection shining through the confusion, and it gave him the strength to go on.

“I put a spell on them because you said you’re so bad with plants and I liked you so much, but it was only supposed to make them last a week. It was just a simple spell, honestly, but,” Harry sighed, his hands travelling over Louis as if they couldn’t figure out where to rest, “apparently my feelings for you have impacted my magic. Niall spoke to one of our friends from school, and it’s pretty rare, but you’ve almost… _changed_ my magic. It’s so in tune with you, and how I feel about you, and it seems to be almost like a tangible force in a room – I can feel it now, and I can feel it running through my veins, and every time it reacts, it does it for you. Any magic I did to do with you was amplified, and it took a long time to figure it out. I still don’t really understand it, to be honest.” Harry finished with a weak chuckle. Louis was silent for a long time, but his hands came to rest on Harry’s knees. Harry waited, trying to calm the beat of his heart and the pulse of his magic until Louis was ready.

“So. You’re a wizard.”

Harry let out a small laugh, and it felt incredible to be able to look Louis in the eyes and say the next words. “Yes, I am. I’m a wizard.” Even though the sentence itself seemed ridiculous, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of freedom as he grinned at Louis.

Louis was staring at him, eyes slightly wide, before a massive smile overtook his whole face. “I can’t believe I was right! This is sick,” he said happily, laughing when Harry spluttered, “what? It’s true! I know we still have a lot to talk about, but can you please just tell me about it? I just – please tell me about your life, about the parts you had to leave out.”

And so Harry did. He spoke all about finding out he was a wizard, and how his parents had been terrified at first. He spoke about Hogwarts, and everything he’d done there. He spoke about Niall and how their friendship had really been formed, and he spoke about all the different types of things he could do. He spoke about magical creatures and spells, potions and foods, and Louis listened intently the entire time. He laughed when Harry spoke about pranks Niall used to pull on other houses, celebrated when Harry spoke about learning difficult spells for the first time, and was in awe when Harry spoke about apparating. By the time he’d explained everything about the apothecary at the shop, Louis seemed happy, but overwhelmed.

“Are you okay?” Harry asked gently, leaning forward to brush Louis’ hair out of his face, “I know it’s a lot to take in; I’m sorry.”

Louis scoffed. “It is a lot to take in. I’ve been working on fantasy novels for years, and finding out it’s all true is pretty intense,” he explained, and Harry felt his magic vibrate slightly in the room when Louis leant forward to kiss him quickly, “but Haz, it’s not too much. I’d already figured it out and being able to know this about you just lets me know you better than I already thought I did. So, please don’t apologise for that.”

“I do need to apologise though, for what I did to you, what I did to us,” Harry murmured, and he almost felt his heart break when he watched Louis’ face crumple slightly, “I’m so sorry Louis, I just didn’t know what to do and relationships between wizards and muggles can be complicated. I didn’t want to have to lie to you, or for something to happen to you.”

“It’s okay, love,” Louis replied, but then shook his head and sighed, “I mean, it’s not. You completely shattered me, Harry. It came from absolutely nowhere, and you just…it wasn’t okay. But I understand why now, and we’ll be okay,” Louis added. There was silence until Louis spoke again. “Is that what I am, then? A muggle?” Louis asked, and Harry couldn’t help but smile when Louis’ face crinkled thoughtfully.

“Yeah, baby, you are. It just means you don’t have any magic in you, or in your family,” Harry explained as he lifted his thumb to smooth out the lines where Louis’ eyebrows had knitted together.

“Does that mean your parents are muggles? You’re part of the family.”

Harry grinned at him and ran his fingers across his forehead, down his temple, and to his cheek. His skin was so soft, and Harry couldn’t help caressing it with the back of his fingers, his knuckles running gently across his cheekbone to then settle down under his chin. He scooted his chair closer and tilted Louis’ chin up, his thumb coming up to glide over his bottom lip. “They’re muggles too, beautiful,” he answered quietly, holding back a groan when Louis’ tongue darted out to flick over his lip and graze the tip of Harry’s thumb, “I’m the first person in my family to have magic.” He grinned when Louis beamed up at him and let out a small giggle, wanting to bottle the sound and take it with him everywhere he went.

“I like it, I think, the word muggle,” Louis said, still beaming at Harry, and he couldn’t wait any more. He dipped forward, removing his thumb quickly and kissing him, nipping at Louis’ bottom lip and coaxing his mouth open with his tongue. He happily swallowed Louis’ groan, shifting forward slightly on his chair to be closer, but Louis pulled back slightly and stood. “I’m just gonna – bathroom,” Louis breathed out, and before Harry could even really blink, he was gone.

So, Harry did the only thing he could. He waited, his hands fiddling in his lap, and tried to figure out what had just happened.

*****

Louis splashed cold water on his face and sighed, rubbing his hands down his face as he stood. He wiped the water off with a towel as he leaned back against the counter. He hadn’t been lying; Harry being a wizard was okay, _brilliant_ even, but they still had things to discuss and Louis couldn’t concentrate on anything when Harry kissed him like that. He wanted nothing more than he wanted Harry, wanted to kiss him and fuck him and love him, but it wasn’t quite the time yet. His hand dropped to feel the folded paper in the pocket of his sweats, and his resolve strengthened. He’d already been hiding for 10 minutes and Harry, his incredible, beautiful Harry, was probably terrified.

With a deep breath, Louis walked back out into the kitchen, his eyes falling on the stunning blue flowers sitting on the bench. He picked them up, lifting the bouquet to bury his face in the blooms, before wandering back over to the table and sitting down again. Harry seemed startled by his sudden reappearance, his head snapping up to Louis’ face before dropping to the flowers in his hand. Louis reached out and ran his fingers through Harry’s curls, watching as his eyes dropped closed with a hum.

“What are these?” Louis asked softly, scratching Harry’s scalp gently and watching as he smiled.

“They’re hydrangeas,” he replied, his voice slow and deep as Louis massaged his head, “my favourite.”

Louis returned the smile easily when Harry looked at him. “I remember, love,” he said quietly, before drawing back to put them gently on the table. He could see Harry watching him out of the corner of his eye, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the pages tucked away there, the lists that he wanted to talk about. He unfolded them and flattened them out, grinning when Harry snorted at the heading.

_‘Is Harry a Wizard?’_

“I honestly don’t care that you’re a wizard, love, but I need you to promise me that you won’t lie to me again, that you’ll talk to me about everything, please,” Louis said, staring down at the paper on the table as he realised there was every chance that was the most bizarre sentence he’d ever said. He jolted slightly when he felt his chin being lifted and lips pressing softly again his own.

“I promise, Lou. I promise,” Harry answered, his voice no higher than a whisper.

Louis nodded jerkily and gestured to the pages laid out in front of them. “I started this when I thought something was different, or that weird things were happening. It was a large part of what led me to figuring it all out. I guess I just wanted you to see it.” He watched as Harry read through the pages, as his facial expression changed every so often; embarrassed, endeared, pained, and hopeful.

“There’s a lot on here that I didn’t do on purpose and that was caused by the way my magic reacts to you,” Harry mused, eyes still skimming over the words, “but there are others were I just wasn’t paying enough attention. I was really hoping you hadn’t noticed the photo moving in my flat, or the dishes washing themselves in the sink at the shop.” Louis laughed when Harry groaned, and patted his hand in sympathy before Harry continued. “But these others all happened because of how I feel. I kept apparating right near you when I was aiming for somewhere else, or accidentally casting spells to fix things that were wrong.”

Louis suddenly remembered Harry seemingly coming from nowhere and falling directly on top of him the day they’d had lunch together. “That’s what happened on the sidewalk that day; you apparated onto me!”

Harry laughed lightly, but his flushed face showed how embarrassed he was. “I did, I’m sorry! I also accidentally warmed up your tea, and made all those daisy buckets multiply,” he looked impressed as he looked down the list, and Louis felt slightly smug, “I definitely didn’t think you would’ve picked up on that, though. And yes, that was my wand in my hair.” Harry seemed a bit more cautious now, and Louis waited as he seemed to hesitate before pulling it from his pocket and laying it on the table.

Louis looked at him questioningly, and after a sharp nod from Harry, reached out and ran his finger down it. He felt slightly disappointed when he felt nothing except for the smooth grooves of the wood, and he drew back when he realised Harry was staring at him. “It’s really pretty,” he offered quietly to Harry, and he felt lighter when Harry beamed at him.

“Thank you,” he replied, plucking it off the table and putting it back in his pocket. “Everyone’s looks different, and the wand chooses you, not the other way around. It’s almost like an extension of your own self.”

“Ah, makes sense as to how you got the pretty one then,” Louis teased, watching happily as Harry blushed. “How did you cast the spells when you would’ve needed your wand and I was in the shop?” Louis asked as curiosity got the better of him.

“Well, most of the time I just did it when you were distracted,” Harry answered with a grin as Louis shot him a small glare, “it was easy enough to do it quickly before you noticed. There was only one week where I forgot, and it was because _I_ was distracted. It was the bouquet with the trick in it, so I bought you a whole bunch on our date in case they died, but somehow it still seems to be alive.”

Harry was frowning, so Louis leant forward to kiss him. He was so in love with Harry, and everything he said just made him love him even more. Louis moved to straddle him, settling his arse on Harry’s thighs with a whine as Louis slid his tongue into his mouth. He heard Harry groan and suddenly two hands were gripping his waist and pulling him closer, and he moaned into Harry’s mouth when the new angle let him grind down on Harry’s cock. He was just pulling back to take off Harry’s shirt when he felt something tickling his leg. With a startled gasp and a swift kick, he looked down, realised it was just the moonflower plant, and settled back into Harry with a relieved sigh. When he went to smile up at Harry though, he was met by a look of total shock.

“Oh my _God_ Louis, is that – ” Louis followed his gaze as it darted back down to the floor, “is that the plant I gave you?! It’s _huge_ , why didn’t you say anything?”

Louis raised his eyebrows at him, reaching out next to them to wrap a vine around his finger. “Well, it hasn’t been that long since you saw it, and also love, it’s literally been on the table this whole time. It wrapped itself up around the leg and seems to be taking over a good quarter of my table,” Louis mused, watching as Harry reached out to touch it. It seemed to nuzzle into his hand, and he yelped, looking back at Louis, but he could only offer a grin in response. “I honestly thought you’d seen it at this point.”

Harry moved slightly, jostling Louis and causing him to grunt and cling to Harry’s shoulders. Louis could see Harry’s fingers gently cupping a flower, and he felt a pulse of electricity surge through him. “It’s beautiful.”

“It is. Thank you for giving it to me,” Louis murmured, his hands coming up to cup Harry’s face. “Why did you give it to me?”

Harry sighed and dropped a quick to Louis’ palm before wrapping his arms around his waist. Louis hummed and snuggled into the embrace. “It wasn’t growing no matter what we did, and you said you were bad with plants. I kind of panicked too,” Louis snorted when Harry stopped to tap him lightly on the bum, “and just gave it to you. I’d put a spell on it to make sure it stayed the same, but it obviously didn’t work.”

“No shit, Bambi,” Louis deadpanned, laughing when Harry pouted at him. “I knew something was up with it when I looked up what moonflowers should be doing when they’re, you know, trying to grow in the shade on the floor. Turns out they’re pretty needy and need full sun to grow, so,” Louis grinned down at his love, “it did seem pretty weird after that.” Harry let out a burst of laughter and Louis had no idea what he’d done to deserve Harry in his life, but fuck was he glad. He let his fingers play with the curls at the nape of Harry’s neck as he tightened his legs around him.

Harry hummed, pushing into the feeling and tightening his hold on Louis in response. “I guess it makes sense then, that it grew when you got it,” Louis shot him a questioning look, but Harry ran his hands up Louis’ side to cup his neck, his thumbs gently stroking along Louis’ jawline, “Sunshine, Lou. You’re my Sunshine. You brighten up everything around you, and I don’t know how I got so lucky, so of course it makes sense. It needs sun to grow, and then here you are. Sunshine,” he said simply, and Louis melted into him as he felt his eyes fill with tears.

“ _Harry_ , Bambi, I love you, I love you so much,” Louis sobbed, clutching Harry’s shirt and drawing their bodies together. He pulled back slightly to kiss him, but Harry’s hands flew up to his face and held him still.

“I love you too, Sunshine,” he replied quietly, pressing a soft kiss to the end of Louis’ nose, “let me show you how much.”

Louis squealed as Harry quickly stood, wrapping his legs solidly around his waist and burying his face in Harry’s neck. One arm slid around Louis’ waist, the other underneath his arse and Louis circled his hips against Harry as he carried him to his bedroom. He let out a soft _oof_ when he was thrown onto the bed, but he had no time to recover before Harry’s body was blanketing him from head to toe. Louis had a second to look up at Harry, to take in the long curls, the green eyes, and the dimples before his eyes were falling shut as their lips collided.

It was slow, soft and gentle to begin with as Louis let himself succumb to the feeling of Harry’s mouth moving with his, warm and wet and _perfect_. He groaned when he felt Harry’s tongue flick up along the roof of his mouth, and he dug his nails slightly into Harry’s back as his hips jolted up.

“Harry, c’mon, want you,” he murmured, kissing Harry again as his hands ran teasingly around his body to start on the buttons of Harry’s shirt. His eyes snapped open when a hand shot up to still his wrist, and he pulled back to look at Harry questioningly. “Haz? Love, is everything okay?”

Harry nodded before leaning down to trail warm kisses down Louis’ neck. He sighed and tilted his head slightly, moaning when Harry took both of his wrists and pinned them above his head. “Keep your hands there after I get you out of this hoodie, baby,” Harry murmured, and Louis’ body arched up at the sound. “C’mon, up.” Louis sat up eagerly, raising his hand above his head as Harry took his hoodie off, before quickly changing his mind. “Actually Lou, ‘m gonna get us naked first. Need to show you how much I love you.”

Louis shivered as Harry’s hands efficiently divested him of all his clothes. _Fuck_ he loved those hands, loved how large and strong they were when Louis needed him, but gentle and soft enough to handle delicate flowers and cup Louis’ face. He loved how long Harry’s fingers were, how brilliant they felt as they gripped him tightly, how amazing they felt inside him, and he loved the gorgeous rings that always sat there.

“Baby, you with me? That’s it, fuck you’re so beautiful.” Harry’s voice cut through the air. Louis blinked, and everything came back into focus. Harry was kneeling between his spread legs as his hands ran up Louis’ thighs, and Louis lost his breath when he realised they were both naked. He arched up as he lifted his hands above his head to grab the headboard and let his thighs fall open more. Harry cursed, his hands digging into Louis’ hips as he fell back down to kiss him. “You’re _so perfect_ , Louis, I can’t believe it.”

Louis whined, wrapping his legs around Harry’s waist and grinding up, his half hard cock finding friction against Harry’s thigh. “You’re the perfect one Haz, please don’t tease.”

“Not going to tease,” Harry replied, but the way he pulled back said he was lying, “just going to worship you, Sunshine, like you deserve.”

“ _Please._ ”

“I’ve got you,” Harry whispered. Louis let out a small sob as Harry slid up his body, breaking Louis’ grip around his waist as he settled above him on his elbows. Louis was panting when Harry reached up and kissed his fingers where they gripped the headboard. “Love your hands, Lou. They’re so gorgeous and strong, and they take care of me so well.” A kiss to both of his wrists. “I love your wrists; how delicate they are.” A trail of kisses down his joined arms. “I love your arms, how muscled and defined you are. I know you could hold me up against a wall without even trying, so strong baby.” A hot drag of lips across his collarbones. “I love these, Lou. So gorgeous.” Nips up his neck, flicks of a tongue to soothe the sting. “Your neck is so stunning, baby, all long lines and soft skin. Love marking you here.” Soft kisses pressed all over his face as hands held his hips down. “I love your eyes; so blue I feel like I could drown, I swear. The angles of your face, Sunshine, sharp enough to cut glass, and your lips.” A dirty kiss, instantly deepened by a curious tongue. “I love your lips. So sweet and soft, could kiss you all day. And the way that they look wrapped around my cock.” A groan, a filthy grind of hips. “I love your lips, baby.”

Louis was writhing underneath Harry’s body, his hands and mouth combining to make him fall apart. “Harry _please,_ please touch me, I need you, _fuck._ ”

“So filthy, Lou,” Harry murmured, his mouth moving to suck at Louis’ nipple. Louis convulsed with a cry, his hands struggling not to reach down and touch. “But I’m not finished yet. Love your tattoos, so _fucking_ hot. Love your chest and your stomach, and the trail of hair that leads to your cock.” Harry ran his nose slowly down Louis’ body, smirking up at him when he whimpered at the tease. Louis felt Harry shift further down the bed, and his eyes shot open when a slight kiss was placed on each of his ankles. “Love your feet and ankles too. So cute and delicate, Lou.” Swift kisses were dropped along Louis’ calves and knees. “I love your legs, baby. So gorgeous, and your _thighs_ , fuck.” Marks were sucked into the soft skin of Louis’ thighs, and he cried out. “So stunning, love it when you lock them around me.”

Louis couldn’t wait any longer. He felt like he was on fire, like every kiss and touch was kindling and the flames were going to consume him. He moved his hands, whining low in his throat when one of Harry’s hand flew up to keep them above his head, squeezing to remind him to keep them there as he moved quickly back down Louis’ body. Louis panted, throwing his head back. “Harry, I can’t – _oh fuck._ ” Wet heat enveloped him, and he lifted his head to see Harry’s lips wrapped around his cock. “Please, need you to fuck me, _fucking hell_.” Louis moaned as he felt Harry kitten lick around the head of his cock before sucking him back down.

Harry pulled up with a wet sound as his hand wrapped around Louis and stroked. Louis cried out, his hips thrusting into the air, and he let out a sound of frustration when Harry held him down again. “I love your cock, Lou. It’s the perfect size, feels so good inside me, tastes so good, love having you in my mouth,” Harry moaned, and Louis gasped for air when Harry swallowed him down again.

“Harry, please, I can’t do this, I need you to fuck me, _please,_ ” Louis begged, long past the point of caring how desperate he seemed. Harry’s mouth was _made_ for sucking cock, and Louis could hear him shifting around slightly before he felt a slick finger at his rim. “Yessss, _God_ yes,” he hissed, pushing his hips down as Harry slowly slid inside him to the first knuckle.

Harry groaned and moved his mouth, pressing wet kisses now to the soft skin where Louis’ thigh met his groin. “Fuck Louis, I _love_ your arse. So round and beautiful, drives me fucking crazy, and then so hot and tight inside,” Harry moaned, pumping his finger slowly as Louis felt himself fall apart, “you can touch me now, beautiful.” Louis gasped as Harry slipped in a second finger alongside the first, stretching him open as he finally let his hands tangle into Harry’s hair. By the time he was open and ready, fucking himself down onto three of Harry’s fingers, he’d almost come twice.

“Fuck me, need to feel you, need you,” Louis babbled, wrapping himself around Harry as soon as he covered Louis with his body. He had no idea when Harry had managed to put a condom on and slick himself up, but when he felt his cock nudge his entrance, his lips parted around a breathy moan. He couldn’t think of any words to describe how incredible it felt when Harry started to press inside him, and when he looked down and saw blue and green sparks again, flying from where Harry’s hand was gripping the outside of his thigh, he nudged Harry with his chin. “Harry, love, is that you doing that?”

Harry looked down with a startled expression, nodding slightly before pushing inside Louis completely. They both groaned, and Louis tightened around him when Harry sucked lightly at his neck. “Not on purpose, but yeah. My magic – _fuck you feel incredible_ – my magic is doing this on its own.”

Louis exhaled sharply as Harry pulled back and thrust back in slowly, pushing up on his hands to watch the slow roll of their bodies. Louis glanced down and almost came at the sight alone, until Harry gripped his chin with one hand and forced his gaze.

“Louis. I love how funny you are” _a roll of his hips_ “how kind you are” _a drag against his prostate_ “how much you care about everyone around you” _hands digging into his arse_ “how you make me feel like a better person” _rougher and faster thrusts_ “and everything else that makes you, you. I love you so much, Lou,” Harry breathed out against his cheek, before Louis turned his head and caught his lips, kissing him desperately as Harry started to fuck him faster.

“Oh, _ah,_ Harry, fuck,” Louis forced his eyes open to watch Harry as he spoke, “I love you too Haz, so fucking much. Make me come, darling, please.”

Harry groaned, quickening his thrusts as he found the perfect angle to drag over Louis’ bundle of nerves. “I wanted to draw this out, take my time with you, really show you how much I love you,” Harry panted, and even though Louis had wanted that too, he couldn’t stop the heat rushing through his veins, and he knew he was close.

“I already know, Haz, _fuck_ you feel amazing, I know how much you love me, I love you too, just – _fuck –_ please, Bambi, I’m so close,” Louis gasped out, spearing his fingers through Harry’s curls and pulling as Harry fucked into him harder. Louis was so close he could almost _taste_ it, and he knew all he’d need would be for Harry to touch his cock and it would be all over.

“ _God_ Sunshine, want you to come for me, so beautiful, my beautiful boy,” Harry groaned, and Louis was suddenly coming with a sharp cry, completely untouched for the first time in his life as Harry’s words pushed him over the edge. Harry fucked him through his orgasm, whispering how beautiful he was until he came with a low moan, holding onto Louis tightly as he pulsed inside him.

Louis vaguely noticed Harry gently pulling out him, kissing him softly and running a hand down his face before he got up to grab a flannel. Louis was suddenly so exhausted that he couldn’t even keep his eyes open, moving pliantly as Harry wiped his stomach and arse gently. He hummed when Harry climbed back into bed, and quickly turned to throw an arm and a leg over him, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck. He sighed happily when Harry pulled him closer and started tracing soothing patterns on his naked back, and he placed a soft kiss to the closest bit of warm skin he could find.

“So,” Harry started, and Louis hummed to show he was listening, “you like being my beautiful boy, then?”

Louis cracked his eyes open and smiled lazily when he saw the grin on Harry’s face. “Maybe,” he answered, his voice heavy as he felt himself drifting, “maybe I like it a lot.”

Harry chuckled and settled Louis more firmly against him, placing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “I love you, Sunshine.”

Louis snuggled into Harry’s warmth, kissing his chest. “I love you too, Bambi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
> Please feel free to leave any kudos or comments below xx


	11. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An apology, teasing, and more love

_One month later_

“Oi, as if that’s even true! Shawn and I can handle it on our own, can’t we?” Niall asked happily, throwing his arm around Shawn’s shoulders. Harry watched on in amusement as Shawn blushed, and leant into Niall’s side.

“Definitely not, Ni. We’re already booked solid, we definitely need someone else,” Shawn replied easily, and Niall shot him quick glare.

“Well lucky for us, I already have someone lined up! He was a friend of mine from Hogwarts, great bloke, and he – ” Niall’s voice trailed off as Harry wandered around his flat to find his boyfriend.

_Boyfriend_. It still seemed slightly odd to say it, but he was filled with so much love and warmth every time. Louis had taken to the oddness of the wizarding world like a duck to water, and every day they spent together made Harry fall more in love with him somehow. He grinned when he wandered into the kitchen and found Louis grilling Liam about his love life, Sarah and Mitch watching from the side. He was just about to interrupt when Nick grabbed his arm.

“Hey, Styles. I need to apologise.”

Harry looked at him, confused. “What for, mate?”

Nick looked down at the floor and sighed. “What I said to you about Louis, and the story I told you about my parent’s friends. I confronted them about it when you told me that Niall’s parents seemed shocked, and it turns out they’d been lying to me because they didn’t want me to date a muggle and were hoping it’d scare me,” Nick scoffed loudly, “but all it did was scare you. I’m sorry, H, honestly.”

Harry pulled Nick into a fierce hug, smiling when he felt the other man hug him back just as tight. “It all worked out, Nick, so we’re good. It’s not your fault that your parents lied to you. I’m sorry they did that to you,” he added softly, his mind settling slightly when Nick grinned at him, “now go away, I want to kiss my boyfriend.”

“Ugh, you’re disgusting.”

“Hey, Haz! Settle something for us!” Harry looked up to see Louis sitting on the counter, his legs swinging happily even as Liam stood near him with a scowl on his face. “Do you think Liam should let us set him up on a blind date? He says no, but I say yes, obviously.”

Harry laughed as he stepped in between Louis’ open legs, kissing him softly as he felt Louis legs wind around his waist. “I think it’s up to Liam, baby. If he doesn’t want to be set up, he doesn’t have to be set up.” Before Liam could thank him though, Harry heard Niall in the entrance.

“Oh Payno, I’ve got _just_ the man for you. He’s just ya type,” Niall shouted as he dragged Liam out of the room. Liam shot them a terrified glance, but he was gone before they could do anything other than laugh.

“When can we kick our friends out? You cooked them dinner, you should be able to throw them out whenever you want,” Louis said in a mock serious tone as his fingers tangled in Harry’s shirt to pull him closer. Harry’s heart soared at the use of the word ‘our’, but he kept a straight face.

“And why would I do that?” Harry teased, purposefully keeping his distance as Louis whined and stuck out his lower lip.

“Because I want multiple orgasms, and we can’t do that while our friends are in the next room,” Louis explained as he scooted closer to the edge of the bench.

“Multiple orgasms, huh?” Harry teased, meeting Louis halfway as his hands snuck up his jumper to rest on his waist, smoothing over Louis’ skin in small circles that made him shiver.

“Obviously,” Louis snorted as he wrapped his arms around Harry’s neck. He nudged the back of Harry’s head with his hands, stretching up slightly for a kiss. He hummed when their lips met briefly, keeping his eyes closed when Harry pulled back. He felt knuckles softly running along his cheekbones and when he blinked his eyes open, Harry was watching him intensely. He flushed, suddenly self-conscious. “What?” he asked warily, twisting Harry’s curls around his fingertips.

Harry shook his head, a smile creeping onto his face as his palm rested against Louis’ neck. He nuzzled happily into the touch. “You’re so captivating,” he murmured, and Louis was sure Harry could somehow feel his heart racing. Louis felt his face break involuntarily into a grin; he’d never been with someone who was so open and honest, who’s every thought seemed to be broadcast on their face. He reached up on once more to press his lips to Harry’s before pulling away before he lost himself in the all-consuming high that the other man seemed to cause.

Harry’s eyes tracked the movement of Louis’ tongue as it slid out of his mouth to flick along his bottom lip, and he couldn’t help himself as he leant down with a groan to kiss him.

Louis tasted like coffee and cream from dessert, the slight undercurrent of the wine they’d had enough to make Harry feel tipsy all over again when he tasted it on Louis’ tongue. He loosened his grip and dropped Louis’ hands, exhaling harshly through his nose when it just caused him to fist his hands in Harry’s hair to pull him impossibly closer. Just as Harry went to slip Louis’ shirt over his head, they were interrupted by a harsh noise.

“Oh my God, _stop that!_ And in the _kitchen_ , I swear to – Nick, ew, our dads are having sex in the kitchen!” Niall’s voice rang loudly through the flat, and Harry pulled away with a groan.

“I love you,” he said quietly for only Louis to hear as their friends yelled loudly in his flat.

“I love you, too,” Louis replied back easily, and they grinned at each other until Harry was torn away by Nick.

When Louis would get home the next day, he’d find the moonflower on his table would’ve grown long enough now to wrap around the opposite table leg.

It never stopped growing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe I actually did this. 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought by commenting or leaving kudos! :) and please come say hi to me on [Tumblr](https://lightwoodsmagic.tumblr.com/) and, if you feel like it, reblogging the [fic post](https://lightwoodsmagic.tumblr.com/post/184860065007/the-lone-hydrangea-by-sarahwrites).
> 
> Thank you so so much for reading. I am so appreciative and grateful xxx


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